The 330 staff at the BNP Paribas Fortis Contact Centre Belgium (CCB) are bankers in their own right, just like all the other commercial staff working at the Bank. They have the same levels of knowledge as their colleagues at the branches in both all areas of banking – daily banking operations, loans, insurance, savings and investment – and the working of the PC online banking platform. In addition, they follow a five-day training module on telephone conversation techniques, where the emphasis is placed on smooth and professional phone interaction and the ability to listen.
These staff members also possess the qualifications mandated by the regulatory bodies pursuant to the Willems and Cauwenberghs laws, which were passed in the wake of the 2008 banking crisis. Our staff are required to pass an examination demonstrating that they have sufficient technical and legal knowledge of the banking and insurance worlds.
Complementing the bank branch network – Under the BNP Paribas Fortis multichannel approach, the client may choose where, when, how and with whom s/he wishes to carry out his/her banking operations. The CCB, which is available to customers in the evening and at weekends, is therefore an essential element of this approach, complementing the branch network, the Self-banking facilities, the PC banking online platform and the various mobile banking apps. For questions requiring more time or a face-to-face sales meeting, the Contact Centre can offer to arrange a meeting for the customer at his/her branch. Indeed, some products, such as a mortgage loan, cannot be dealt with over the phone.
Growing fast – At the present time the Contact Centre employs 330 commercial staff who, within the 83 hours per week that the Centre is open for business, handle some 12,000 calls a day. Average handle time amounts to 30 seconds. The customer talks to an employee who is able to answer the question and provide a satisfactory solution in 80% of cases. Questions for which CCB staff have no immediate solution are transferred to a specialist in the appropriate field.
As a distribution channel, the Contact Centre is growing fast. The number of calls is expected to rise to 17,000 per day by the end of 2013 and the CCB will need around 100 extra staff to cope with this increase.
The BNP Paribas Fortis Contact Centre can be reached from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. Monday - Friday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and bank holidays.
Have a look at our previous article: BNP Paribas Fortis employee elected contact centre ambassador of the Year
Press contacts
Hilde Junius, Head of Press, +32 (0)2 565 47 37 – hilde.junius@bnpparibasfortis.com
Valéry Halloy, Press Officer, +32 (0)2 565 46 50 – valery.halloy@bnpparibasfortis.com
Kim Cauberghs, Press Officer, +32 (0)2 228 37 94 – kim.cauberghs@bnpparibasfortis.com