Development Bank staffers attend customer service workshops

Staff members, irrespective of their rank at the bank – junior and senior -participate in an innovative down-to-earth interactive session.

Two staff members, Mr Jefferson Merchant and Ms Tiffany Richards, in a mock customer/bank official interview as the rest of the staff evaluate them.

Workshop facilitator, Dr Sybil Allen-Jones.

BASSETERRE ST. KITTS (December 11, 2012) — The entire staff at the Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis has successfully participated in a two-day Customer Service workshop that was aimed at providing them with skills that will make the institution competitive in a customer service oriented society.

The workshop, which was facilitated by Dr Sybil Allen-Jones, CEO of The Human Factor, a consulting and counselling services firm, was split in three sessions so as to accommodate all the staff without interfering with the smooth running of the bank.

“In today’s customer service oriented society, timely, friendly, proactive service is being sought to enhance future business growth at the Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis, hence this customer service workshop,” observed Ms Coralee Benjamin, the bank’s Human Resource Officer.

The first session was held on October 25-26, and the second one on November 14-15 at the NEMA Conference Room while the third one was held on December 6-7 at the FND Conference Room. Staff from the head office and the Nevis branch office took part in the workshop which they unanimously said was quite educative, interactive and inspiring.

“Each workshop session consisted of 14 hours of face to face contact in the form of interactive lectures, videos, role plays, and group exercise,” explained Ms Benjamin. “That introduced our staff to the main concepts of customer service and provided an opportunity that would help turn their skills into behaviours.”

The members of staff, who were vividly enthused by the methods employed by Dr Allen-Jones, said that the workshop not only gave them new ideas on how to deal with the bank’s customers, but it also improved the relationship among themselves as there was not a dull moment during the two days of the workshop.

“I believe this workshop will challenge us and hopefully give us new ideas, knowledge, and drive to improve and lift our standards and performance to our customers, and above that of our competitors,” Ms Benjamin advised the staff during her introductory remarks when she introduced the facilitator.

A holder of a PhD in Organisational Psychology from the International University of Graduate Studies, facilitator Dr Allen-Jones noted that any company in this day that doesn’t value customer service is one that is not going to survive. She observed that the Development Bank is a forerunner in understanding the importance of customer service.

“In these days with competition in businesses, one of the things I can distinguish one business from the other is the quality of the customer service,” said Dr Allen-Jones. “My sense is that the bank is looking to be able to distinguish themselves as well to kind of build on the skills of customer service by providing ongoing information and opportunity for staff to learn more about the aspects of what constitutes good customer service.”