Too pleasant a banking experience

I am not sure if I am the only one, but whenever I am queuing at the the bank, the Post Office, or even chaotic traffic department in Greenpoint, I cannot help but always notice the inefficiencies in the logistical processes in these service places and in my boredom and irritation while waiting on the queue so I always conjure in my mind better ways in which they could improve the way they do things in to serve the customers (who they always claim come 1st) more efficiently.

I do not understand for example, I have to wait on a long queue for 20 minutes to buy a stamp at the Post Office, or to wait on three queues at the traffic department to replace a lost drivers license.I went to an FNB branch (my bank) this afternoon to collect a card and withdraw some cash ( that was 2 queues) only to be told that I could not withdraw the money yet as the money was still pending clearance, that in all, was about 45 minutes, my precious lunch hour gone!

From FNB (with a mild irritation), I had to go to a Standard Bank branch again to deposit some cash and was already pissed off thinking I might have to spent at least another 20 minutes. To my pleasure, that was not to happen, I was in-and-out in less than 5 minutes. In that 5 minutes, I had filled in the deposit form, queued and was assisted.

Too good to be true? Yes. You see, at Standard Bank branch I visited, they were doing a 'service-time measurement' survey, so when I entered the bank, I was given a magnetic card at the entrance and was explained to drop it off on exit. The card would be able to tell them how much time I would have spent at the branch. I took the card and looked at the clock to do my own counting.

After filling in the deposit form and joining a queue, a pretty lady wearing a well-fitting knee-length skirt with white high-heels was going around the queue and asking people how he can help them, when my turn came, I told her I had just come to do a simple cash deposit and was taken off from the queue gently escorted to an 'Express' till. The lady behind the till asked for my card (the one that I got at the entrance), scanned it and started helping me. After she had finished helping me, she scanned the card again on her side to record how long she had taken and gave me the card back so that I could hand it over at the exit. I was done!

When I left the bank, besides the fact that I was impressed with the technology they employed, I also left with a pleasant feeling that Standard Bank, or at least the branch I visited, cared about people who visit their branches. A few people in the branch too could not help but comment at the 'sudden' improvement in service delivery.

With the advent of online banking, teller banking took a big knock in my opinion as there became visible staff declines in branches. It felt good to know that Standard Bank was at least doing some formal research into how they can improve their branch banking. Perhaps your Post Offices, other banks, Traffic departments and most definitely Home Affairs would do well to take a leaf out of Standard Bank's book.

Big ups to Standard Bank!