And now, a GOOD news banking story!
Given our last two banking discussions (Impersonal Banking and Out There) I didn’t expect good fiscal news any time soon.
Happily, I was wrong.
Enter Bankwest. (I recommend you do.)
A Funny Thing Happened on The Way to The Forum
My dad asked me to help him transfer some business from one bank to another. In person.
I bank online, so our trek to Dad’s regional retail ziggurat (which had grown tenfold since my youth) was daunting.
The first bank was as I remembered. Queues and hassles and bullet-proof glass and policy glitches and not-very-helpful staff.
The second bank was very different.
Oranges Smoranges
First, it was orange.
Second, it was open plan – looking more like an internet lounge than a bank.
Third, it had a big bowl of lollipops.
Standing inside the entrance, at a sort of mini concierge podium thing, was a friendly-looking young man.
He hailed us with a smile, inquired after our health and asked what we wanted to do.
We told him and he immediately ushered us to a spotless semi-cubicle containing a friendly-looking young woman and a swish computer screen that could turn on a dime.
As we sat down, the man offered us tea, coffee or juice.
Having slipped off my chair in shock, I was unable to reply.
When I came to, I expressed my surprise to Dad at being offered a coffee in a bank.
The man overheard me, returned to the cubicle, and said:
I bet you’ve never been offered a coffee by the bank manager!
You’re the bank manager?!
Yep.
What are you doing out the front?!
It’s the best place to keep track of everything that happens in this branch.
But, but … you don’t even have … a chair!
Hold Everything!
Forgetting my father’s affairs entirely, I sprang to the podium and quizzed the man (whose name was Daniel*) about his crazy decor, layout, lollipops and mindset.
He said Bankwest had been ahead of the pack for some time, and that other banks were just starting to copy their innovations.
Pressed for evidence of this claim, he revealed that his branch ran on ‘centre hours’ – which meant that when the centre was open, he was open.
Even on Sundays.
Thoroughly impressed, I asked Daniel if I could blog him.
He agreed and gave me a business card … with his direct telephone line, mobile number and email address!
Go West?
I’m not a Bankwest customer. But I now realise why Dad has been going on about how nice they are to deal with.
In a nutshell, it seems Bankwest uses humans to make one feel … human.
Extraordinary stuff.
I’d like to know if you’ve had dealings with this crowd.
And what you thought of them.
Failing that, can you cite other firms who are being innovative like this?
Maybe your business is leading the pack.
As always, by inviting your comments,
we’re saving
the best
for last.
* Second from right in photo.
Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire
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