Johannesburg - Dealing with complaints quickly and changing the approach when helping customers who have been defrauded seems to have helped Absa come out tops at the recent Ombudsman for Banking Services (OBS) Annual Awards.
The bank scooped the awards for Best Bank and Best Individual, the latter awarded to one of their employees. The awards celebrate excellence in banking dispute resolution and honour outstanding banks and OBS employees for their commitment to maintaining the highest standards of dispute resolution in banking.
It’s believed that what made the bank stand out was its comprehensive re-engineering of its approach to dealing with customers who have been defrauded, including its innovative Digital Fraud Warranty.
The bank has also streamlined its processes to further reduce complaints escalated to the Ombudsman.
Karen Jonker, from the Absa Regulatory Dispute Adjudication scooped an award in the individual category after being crowned the overall industry winner in the Big Banks category.
Christine Wu, Managing Executive: Customer Value Management at Absa Retail and Business Bank said the acknowledgement by the Ombudsman on both individual and industry level marks a significant turnaround in their commitment to meaningful customer service and dispute resolution.
“Moving from the highest number of disputes a few years ago, to having the fewest disputes amongst the Big Five banks, marks a remarkable turnaround for the bank.
“This accolade is testament to the commitment, drive and effort of our Regulatory Dispute Adjudication team, who have been central in this phenomenal turnaround,” she saidd.
“Absa experienced a tough year in 2019, mainly as a result of high complaint volumes, but has now received the lowest complaint volumes of the Big Five banks by a significant margin in 2020.
“What is particularly pleasing is that this recognition comes at a time when Covid-19 has brought on seemingly insurmountable challenges,” Wu said.
The Star