Tan Kin Lian's Blog: Bad customer service (Maybank)

Friday, June 18, 2010

Bad customer service (Maybank)

I experienced bad customer service with Maybank. I sent a fax to their Johor Bahru Main branch to send me a new cheque book. They did not respond after a week. I called their number. Nobody picked up the phone. I tried with 4 other numbers. It was not answered.

I called their KL contact center. I went through the automated mesages and finally managed to speak to an officer taking complaints. She said that I have to call the Johor Bahru Main branch and give me two new numbers to call. I tried several times, but nobody pick up the phone.

I called the KL contact center again, and lodged a complaint about the bad customer service. I insisted that they take down my complaint and tell the Johor Bahru branch to call me back. She ageed. She was patient and helpful. I commend her.

Many big organisations had bad customer service due to bad operating procedures, which are unfriendly to customers. The customers who have to wait for a long time on a telephone that is never answered. A better solution is to allow the customer to give their name, e-mail, contact number and request in a web based form. The call center can also used this form to enter down the key details. This will allow the relevant staff to call back the customer when they are free.

Tan Kin Lian

9 comments:

Anonymous said...: One problem with the idea of leaving a msg or filling up a web form is that nobody calls back. Customers shouldn't be bothered in having to keep track and chase the company..; June 18, 2010 4:48 PM
Anonymous said...: I think it is typical of all big businesses, in Singapore as well. You call them and the automated telephone exchange prompts you to press one number after another.

After exhausting all avenues they finally tell you to hold on, because the person you intend to speak too is busy. And you could be held on line for a long long time, until you get frustrated and put the phone down.

Why can't they resort to the old tested method of having a human telephone operator. This new method of automated telephone communication is inefficient, unproductive and clearly a pain to customers.

In a word, it really sulks.; June 18, 2010 4:48 PM
Tan Kin Lian said...: Reply to 4:48 pm

If an organisation provides a web form, it should arrange for the contact center staff to retrieve the form every hour and respond to it, i.e. get the answer and call back the customer.

Usually, the time taken to process this type of transaction is less than listening to details over the telephone.; June 18, 2010 5:30 PM
Anonymous said...: Most govenment offices now can not be contacted by phone. u have to contact them via e mail to cut down cost of manning phonelines. If u dont have access to internet, tough luck on u esp the older generation, just too bad!; June 18, 2010 6:20 PM
Anonymous said...: Try to call MOM or NEA to test how patience you can be. If the call is for urgent matter, please forget it.

Loh; June 18, 2010 8:00 PM
A Singaporean said...: My experience is that web forms are often for show only, and never replied. Even emails sometimes take many days to reply. Best is still to directly call, even if it involves jumping hoops. Sucks, but oh well.; June 18, 2010 10:57 PM
symmetrix said...: I have been given the runaround with Maybank JB before whenever I call them.

Nowadays, I go down personally for any requests or complaints. Yes, it takes 1/2 a day for s simple request like resetting my internet banking pswd. This excludes causeway jam etc. But it works.

I think it has to do with the Malaysian culture. They rather meet and talk with customers personally than remotely via phone/sms/eml.; June 19, 2010 2:43 PM
Anonymous said...: AS far as technology is concerned Maybank may be a bit behind, but their face to face human relationship far exceeds the standard of all our local banks.
They are more sympathetic and human, as compared to the artificial, commercialised relationship our local bankers have
with us.
Believe me, try banking with them, and you would realise the difference.; June 19, 2010 11:48 PM
Tan Kin Lian said...: Reply to 11:48 PM

Maybank can improve its customer service quite easily. They already have a good call center operating in KL. I was able to get through.

They only need to imrpove their working procedures. The call center staff can take down my particulars and ask their JB Main branch to send the cheque book to me.

They should not ask me to call the JB branch and have to wait for a long time (quite often, forever) for my call to be answered.; June 20, 2010 8:40 AM