Banking on knowledge: at First National Bank, an education program changes employees' perceptions of customer service and provides career opportunities.

In 2005, First National Bank (FNB) presented its vision to improve the quality of its customer service and to become the No. 1 bank in South Africa within three years. To make this happen, FNB set out to provide outstanding customer service in its banking contact centers.

Achieving these goals means retaining and attracting high-quality employees who will deliver great service. Before the communication team implemented the "Banking on Knowledge" program, staff turnover in the contact centers averaged 2.87 percent a month. In order to build staff commitment, the communication team would need to persuade temporary employees to become permanent; at the start of the program there were 310 temporary employees out of a total of 450.

In general, growth and career opportunities in the contact centers are limited, which makes it challenging to attract and retain talented, motivated staff. To change this situation, FNB needed to offer growth and career opportunities within the various banking business units. More important, before employees could take advantage of these opportunities, they needed to be banking experts. Banking expertise would also allow staff to provide FNB customers with great service.

The primary audience for Banking on Knowledge was any staff member who has direct contact with customers of FNB's contact centers. The average age of the target audience was 23. Research shows that people in this age group expect to change jobs frequently and are easily bored. "What's in it for me?" is an important question to them, though they are team players. They respond to humor and to straight talk. Also, the majority of the audience (43 percent) was black, a demographic that has been historically deprived of educational opportunities in South Africa. Further education is very important to them.

Goals and objectives

The Banking on Knowledge program had five objectives. The short-term goals were to:

* Enroll 80 percent of the contact center staff in a banking education program called the University of Banking.

* Offer staff members growth opportunities that would give them access to a wider range of careers, and would allow the organization to recruit and retain quality people (including making temporary staff permanent).

* Improve staff satisfaction.

The long-term goals were to:

* Deliver great customer service through staff members who are committed to excellent service, as measured by the monthly customer satisfaction index and real-time customer satisfaction measurement via interactive voice response (IVR).

* Deliver great-quality service through staff who have expert banking knowledge, also measurable by the monthly customer satisfaction index and real-time customer satisfaction measurement via IVR.

Overall, FNB envisioned creating enduring, rewarding relationships with customers by empowering employees to come up with innovative solutions to customer issues and concerns, and by managing costs.

Solution and implementation

The FNB communication team introduced the idea of increased career opportunities in banking to contact center consultants through the Banking on Knowledge program in September 2005.

Contact centers are seen as having no real career opportunities. FNB was determined to change this by creating an environment in which temporary staff would want to become permanent employees. Staff members needed to understand what a career in banking could mean to them, such as improved status and monetary gain. They needed to know that they could have aspirations that went well beyond the team leader role in the contact centers, which was previously the only position typically available to them.

Three communication audits undertaken in the contact centers prior to the start of Banking on Knowledge revealed that staff members considered creative presentations to be the most valuable communication channel. In the past, presentations that included an element of theater received very positive ratings, and previous research of theater events had shown that they promote excellent information retention and buy-in. This research influenced the communication team's choice of a play to launch the program. A series of e-mail teasers was sent to generate interest.

After the play; the bank's CEO entered the theater on an expensive scooter and announced that everyone who registered for the University of Banking and handed in a completed first assignment would qualify to win the scooter he was riding, valued at US$10,000.

A party afterward gave staff a chance to talk about the program and to ask questions of faculty members who were on hand. A sheet with answers to frequently asked questions was also handed out.

To maintain momentum and to further encourage employees to enroll in the University of Banking, the initial event was followed up with regular sessions at which the CEO explained the business vision to staff, how the business was doing, what it still needed to achieve and what staff could do to help. An e-newsletter called Daily Buzz was circulated to all staff to encourage them to participate in the University of Banking. Articles included success stories of FNB employees who had been promoted, and described how the CEO and members of the management team had attained their roles.

The message in all communications about the University of Banking was that university life is not only about studying but also about having fun. This element was reinforced by sports events held every quarter. FNB also publishes a quarterly staff-written magazine-style newsletter. This gives everyone in the company the opportunity to provide input, be creative and work together as a team.

Measurement and evaluation

After attending the launch of the Banking on Knowledge program, 319 out of 400 staff members completed assessments and registered for the University of Banking (79.75 percent): FNB had achieved the objective of enrolling around 80 percent of staff in the program.

Another objective was to convert temporary staff to permanent staff.. At the end of August 2005, there were 310 temporary staff members. By December 2005, 102 of them had converted to permanent status.

After the launch of the program, staff satisfaction markedly improved. When staff satisfaction was measured in August 2005, 65 people out of a possible 520 participated in the survey. In December 2005, participation was 100 percent for the first time ever.

The monthly attrition rate of permanent staff at the contact centers was 2.87 percent in September 2005; by December 2005 it was 0 percent. The attrition rate of temporary staff in September 2005 was 10.51 percent; by December, it was 8.27 percent. When asked if they would encourage others to join the organization, 76 percent of staff said yes.

In terms of customer satisfaction, the customer loyalty measurement in October 2005 was 37 percent. By the end of November 2005, that figure had increased to 49.6 percent.

Pietie Mackenzie is head of communication at First National Bank Contact Centres in Johannesburg, South Africa.