As the 29th Olympic Games are soon to be held in Beijing, CCB has recently launched a campaign on “Olympic Service Year Quality Standardised Services”.  The aim is to raise the quality of Games related services throughout the bank, to display CCB’s achievements in reform and development, to forge a favourable international image and to conscientiously carry out financial services during the Games.  At the end of the campaign, there will be a bank-wide election of “All-round Service Stars”.

To CCB, providing quality services to domestic and foreign customers during the Games is an opportunity of the moment for CCB to publicise the achievements of its development.  It is also a test on how well CCB can seize this juncture in its development to realise its aim of globalising its services.  Therefore, the comprehensive launching of the Olympic Year Quality Standardised Service Campaign is of particular significance in enhancing throughout CCB a sense of responsibility and mission in providing Olympic services; in reinforcing service awareness; in arousing service potentials; in innovating service methods; in standardising service behaviours; in improving service environment; in raising service quality and customer satisfaction; and in CCB’s achieving leapfrogging development.  By launching a series of activities, CCB is striving to significantly raise service standards within a relatively short period of time so as to provide the Olympic Games with financial services which are more customer-focussed, more standardised and of higher quality and efficiency.  The campaign will be held throughout CCB but will focus at branches and their respectively self-service facilities in the six Olympic Games cities of Beijing, Qingdao, Tianjin, Shanghai, Qinhuangdao (under Hebei Branch), Shenyang (under Liaoning Branch) as well as in key tourist spots and entry/exit ports.  Campaign activities will revolve around service quality, product innovation, structure optimisation, function extension as well as enhancement of core competence.  It will be a campaign in which local characteristics will be displayed and service quality will be emphasised by simultaneously focussing on a number of processes and aspects such as the rationalisation of branch distribution, standardisation of counter services, continuation of branch transformation, optimisation of the professional training mechanism, improvement of the complaint handling process, streamlining of emergency preparedness processes, enhancing of service quality of electronic banking services, promotion of financial knowledge and products and further reinforcing of a culture of compliance, trustworthiness and self-discipline.

In order to reconcile decisions on important problems and to coordinate and promote various campaign activities, CCB headquarters has established a steering group for the Olympic Service Year Quality Standardised Service Campaign.

This campaign will be conducted in eight areas as follows:

1.    Quicken the pace of branch transformation.  The essence of transforming CCB’s branches is “Starting with Customers and Ending with Customers”.  By redefining the duties of various posts in the branches and carrying out measures such as reengineering business operation processes, creating branch ethos and improving branch environment, CCB aims at providing customers with quality and efficient services, thereby raising service efficiency and customer satisfaction in the branches, boosting their sales capabilities and raising their market competitiveness.  Transforming the branches is an effective way in raising service quality and providing customers with consistent quality services in the branches.  CCB requires that branches which have already undergone transformation should consolidate the results of their transformation so that the behaviour patterns during transformation can become a routine and serve as examples for other branches. Those which have not yet undergone transformation should make preliminary preparations for transformation by conscientiously learning from the transformed branches in accordance with the requirements of transformation.  Branches in the six Olympic Games cities are required to basically complete transformation of their retail branches before June.

2.    Popularisation and promotion of financial knowledge. Throughout CCB, financial knowledge popularisation and promotion activities in different formats will be carried out.  Emphasis will be given to knowledge related to bank cards, self-service facilities, as well as new banking products and services.  The main formats include the full utilisation of the CCB’s portal website, webpages, billboards, propaganda boards, financial management lectures, electronic video equipment, newspapers and newsletter, etc.  The purpose is to extensively promote and popularise to the general public knowledge in banking and finance as well as service brand names.  Dissemination of financial knowledge to frontline staff will also be carried out. The aim is that all frontline staff including branch managers, lobby managers, personal banking consultants, tellers, personal account managers, 95533 attendants should be thoroughly familiar with business knowledge such as the functions, characteristics, handling processes of and potential risks associated with various electronic banking businesses including internet banking, phone banking and mobile phone banking.  This is to ensure that they can undertake customer services and product sales and provide risk warnings to customers.  To further familiarise the public with credit cards and other self-service facilities such as internet banking and telephone banking and guide them into adopting and using these facilities, pamphlets and leaflets in banking and financial knowledge will be distributed in various branches and self-service banks.  The purpose is to reasonably divert business and alleviate counter workload.  To further popularise financial knowledge to the general public, systematic community activities will be carried out.  The “CCB Cup—China Family Financial Education” campaign will be extensively promoted.  In cities where classes are held, financial knowledge will be passed on to more females and families so that there will be more modern families with rational consumptions and that CCB’s financial management products and credit car products can be recommended and marketed ingeniously.

3.    Conduct multifarious forms of service training.  The aims are to standardise the service behaviour of CCB staff, minimise operational risk and elevate integrative service standards.  It is hoped that, through education and training, a “customer focussed” concept of providing services can be instilled in the staff.

4.    Elevate English Service Standards at the Counters.  The number of English-speaking customers would increase during the Olympic Games.  In order that customer needs can be met and that the high level of service standards in CCB can be reflected, the English communication skills of counter-duty personnel in the branches will be raised through a number of methods.  In all first-tier branches throughout CCB, a mandatory oral English practising session will be included in the morning meetings as an additional way of providing oral English training to counter personnel in their off-duty hours.

5.    Provision of convenient account services to overseas institutions and individuals.  >Inasmuch as risks can be controlled, convenience will be provided to overseas individuals in opening personal banking settlement accounts with CCB.  At present, CCB’s debit cards (including its Financial Management Card and the All-in-one Dragon Card) are available for application by individuals from overseas, including foreigners as well as Chinese nationals from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan who are now residing in China.  Meanwhile, procedures for account opening have been streamlined, business documents have been integrated and business handling processes have been reengineered.

6.    Ensure the reliable operation of self-service facilities.  Maintenance of self-service facilities will be carried out properly to ensure a high operative rate.  In addition, promotion and advertising of the functions and operating procedures of these facilities, in particular, cash withdrawals with foreign currency cards, will be intensified.  Efforts in self-inspection of the operational status of these facilities will be redoubled.  For those situated in key areas, on-site spot-checks will be carried out.  The pace of installation and commissioning of new facilities will be stepped up, while their coverage rate in the Olympic co-host cities and in key tourist destinations will be increased.  There will also be a comprehensive inspection of the operation status of the external card acceptance function of the self-service facilities and a renewal of display logos.  Particularly for the Olympic co-host cities, the acceptance environment of external cards would be ensured.

7.    Ensuring the quality of foreign currency card acceptance services.  A campaign in signing up merchants will be organised and run by branches in the Olympic co-host cities and key tourist destinations.  This campaign will focus on key business districts, shopping areas, tourist attractions and in the hostelry and restaurant sectors in Olympic business circles and along key tourist routes.  The purpose is to ensure that the card acceptance ratios of merchants before the start of the Olympics will meet the overall requirements set by the Government for domestic banks for the improvement of the card acceptance environment.  System upgrading will be carried out to ensure that, during the Olympics, merchants can provide reliable, secured and efficient foreign currency card acceptance services to overseas cardholders.  Meanwhile, training of cashiers of franchised merchants, especially of key foreign currency card franchised merchants will be intensified to enhance the risk avoidance awareness and service quality of the merchants.

8.    Take customer feedback seriously and response quickly to problems.  As regard financial services in the six Olympic co-host cities as well as in key tourist and port cities all over the country, there will be intensified implementation, training and exercises in bank-wide self-inspections in system services, stress tests in the operation of business systems and emergency preparedness plans.  If problems are identified during the exercises, rectification and improvement measures will be carried out.  For problems reflected by customers, the emphasis is to carry out ample communication with customers and to make timely improvements and upgrade of the processes involved to ensure that customers will receive quality services in CCB.

From July 1st to September 31st, CCB will launch a campaign under the theme of “United in Providing Olympic Financial Services and Display an Image of Trustworthiness and Harmony”.  The focus will be on the improvement of such critical areas as quality, capability, standards, and level of services so as to solidly advance service practices and service inspections in the banking sector and in financial institutions.  Attention will also be given to the identification of problems in service details and the timely meeting of service demands in order to provide customers with efficient, friendly and secured diversified services and to raise customer satisfaction.