Graduate Customer Care Officer at Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria

Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria - Is currently recruiting for the position below:

Job Title: Customer Care Officer - Lagos

Job ID: 400544
Job Function: Consumer Banking
Location: Nigeria - SCB

Responsibilities

• Contribute insights & feedback as VOF & VOC towards strategy formulation & execution of plan

Complaint Management Including Resolution

• Assist with the execution of assigned CCU strategic projects 
• Ensure adherence to TAT & service standards as shown below:

Key Complaints Matrics

1. Number of complaints
2. Complaints per 1000 accounts
3. FTR (First Time Resolution)
4. OHS (Overall Handling Score of complaint resolution)
5. TAT < 24 hrs
6. TAT > 2 days
7. Unresolved complaints > 14 days
8. Inappropriate Sales
9. Proven mis-selling
10. Number of metrics in RED

• Ensure zero backlog on escalations
• Personally involved in resolution of escalated complaints
• Ensure overall audit, controls & costs are well executed
• Ensure timely MIS updates
• Ensure adherence to communications, empowerment & delegation matrix. 

Continuous Improvements 

• Contribute ideas towards how to continually improve complaint management process
• Support on assigned process improvement projects
• Support on assigned strategic initiatives

Risk & Governance 

• Ensure compliance with changes in Group Policy & Standards, TCF, local laws & regulations
• Ensure compliance with guidelines & procedures on KYC in daily handling of customer service issues
• Ensure robust quality audit checks & controls are embedded

People & Development

• Display strong performance culture
• Support efforts that ensure fulfillment of service recovery SLAs
• Support efforts that would build the Bank’s profile in service centricity through strong engagement with regulators, media or customer associations.

Requirements

• Minimum of a 2nd Class degree in a relevant course
• Strong bias for communication (spoken and written)
• Has an analytical mind, loves solving problems with eyes for details
• Personable with strong interpersonal skills
• Computer literate and high on presentation skills
• Fair knowledge of core banking products and markets.
• Practical working knowledge of company, industry and banking guidelines and regulations.
• In compliance with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Act of 2004, all applicants should ensure that they have completed the mandatory NYSC programme. A discharge certificate will be required as evidence of completion of the programme. Where an exemption has been granted, a certificate of exemption will also be required.

Application Closing Date
1st November, 2013

Click Here To Apply

Note: When the page opens, Click Location: Nigeria - SCB then click Search, then click Customer Care Officer - Lagos

Customer Service: A Concept and A Process

Customer service as a concept basically refers to the relationship between a product or service provider and the people who use or buy its products or services. According to Asset Skills, it is "the sum total of what an organization does to meet customer expectations and produce customer satisfaction." Customer service relates to understanding both the nature of the organization’s customers -past, present and future- the features and benefits of the products or services it provides and the entire transactional process, from a potential customer’s initial awareness to post-purchase satisfaction.

As a process, Customer service is the provision/presentation of a series of activities regarded as a service designed to enhance the level of customer interest and satisfaction before, during and after a purchase.

Customer service traditionally follows some fundamental steps which include, but are not limited to the following:

Identifying Customers

Once the idea of setting up a business is borne, what first comes to mind is "Who are my targeted customers?" This question arises from the fact that not all products/services are meant for just everyone. Be that as it may, most organizations will have more than one type of customer. These customers will vary according to age, gender, personality and economic and social position. They will also differ according to such variables as their previous experience of dealing with the organization, the importance of the purchase to them, whether or not they are buying for themselves or their company and their existing level of knowledge about the products or services.

Defining Service

Customer service behaviours encompass a huge range of factors including efficiency, speed of response, attention to detail, listening, reassurance, providing information and following up. Attitude is also important in terms of variables such as friendliness, respect, concern and authenticity. The type and levels of service provided will depend on the ways customers interact with the organization and its employees. For example, different behaviors will be important for those who purchase from a shop -dealing directly with sales staff- compared to those buying over the Internet. Interactions may be face to face, over the telephone or in writing. It is important at this point to state that very skilled individuals should be engaged to render customer service to customers in situations where there is no face to face interaction. These individuals should be required to be able to detect customers moods from their voice tones and manner of speech. This is very important because the customer service officer in this situation isn't opportuned to observe body language and facial expressions that is available during a face to face interaction.

Type of Relationship

When the term "Customer" comes up, every organization should bear in mind that there are about four (4) variations of customers. They may be potential customers, one-time customers, repeat customers or ex-customers. Each will have specific needs for the business to address appropriately in terms of service. Potential customers’ service needs may relate to raising awareness of features and benefits of the product or service and how and where it is available, as well as reassurance about organizational values and integrity. Point of purchase customer service may focus heavily on factors such as demonstrating, offering alternatives and following proper selling etiquette. Post-purchase service may take the form of providing product support, maintaining relationships through newsletters or emails and offering special discounts to encourage loyalty.

Training

This step is one most organizations try to avoid simply because of the cost implications, forgetting that whatever is spent on equipping their Customer Service staff with up-to-date knowledge on Customer Service etiquette will only translate into more revenue for the organization. Every organization, regardless of its size or nature of business, needs to have a clear framework for customer service, incorporating detailed policies, procedures and standards. Organizations should provide regular customer service training for all so they understand the role they play in overall customer service within the organization and the specific behaviours and attitudes expected of them. Refresh both service standards and procedures and training regularly to meet changing customer needs and competitor activities.

Getting Feedback

Great customer service depends on looking at things from the customer’s perspective. In most cases, this will involve segmenting your customer base into different customer types and clearly identifying the particular needs of each. Mystery shopping and regular customer satisfaction surveys can be extremely helpful in pinpointing good and bad customer service, as can ongoing observation and supervision of customer service situations at a range of different levels. Getting employees to focus on and discuss customer service issues on a regular basis is a good way of helping them improve standards and take ownership at an individual and team level.

I hope this simple, albeit little insight on Customer Service as a concept and a process would enlighten everyone who reads it. Your contributions and criticisms would be highly appreciated, so please and please, kindly drop a comment.
 
Don't forget that there's always love in sharing, so kindly make good use of the share buttons below and help pass the knowledge unto different forums.

Thank you.

If You Shop Online, You Should Know and Apply These Safety Measures

Online shopping can be considered a sub-category of e-commerce which predominantly refers to business-to-consumer transactions such as online retail or online auctions. It also refers to online purchases from online retailing corporations such as Omie Store, Naija Feet, Konga, Jumia, e.t.c.

From clothes to mobile gadgets, almost everything is available online, if you know where to look.

In recent years, mobile shopping has been on the rise, with the use of mobile devices for online shopping activities.

Over the past decade, online shopping has become increasingly popular globally. It is a fact that 1- search engines are the top sources where people find what they want to buy when they want to shop online, and 2- 77% men and 68% women shop online during the day, just before lunch.

The world of e-commerce enables shoppers to shop at thousands of online stores and pay for their purchases without leaving the comfort of their home. For many, the Internet has taken the place of Saturday afternoon window shopping at the mall. This does away with the fatigue and burn out that follows conventional shopping.

Shoppers expect merchants to not only make their products available online, but to make payments a simple and secure process. However, the same things can go wrong shopping online as in the real world. Sometimes it is simply a case of a computer glitch or poor customer service. Other times, shoppers are cheated by clever scam artists.

The convenience of online shopping is one thing that makes it popular. But how safe are your shopping activities?

Just as shoppers should take measures to protect themselves in brick-and-cement stores — such as protecting their PIN numbers when using the P.O.S machines and not leaving purses unattended — online shoppers also need to take sensible precautions.

In order to shop safely online, kindly observe the following:

1 - Shop ONLY at secure web sites

The question that would immediately come to mind is "How can you tell if a Web site is secure?" Secure sites use encryption technology to transfer information from your computer to the online merchant's computer. Encryption scrambles the information you send, such as your credit card number, in order to prevent computer hackers from obtaining it en route. The only people who can unscramble the code are those with legitimate access privileges. Here's how you can tell when you are dealing with a secure site:

If you look at the top of your screen where the Web site address is displayed (the "address bar"), you should see (https://). The "s" that is displayed after "http" indicates that Web site is secure. Often, you do not see the "s" until you actually move to the order page on the Web site.

Another way to determine if a Web site is secure is to look for a closed padlock displayed on the address bar of your screen. If that lock is open, you should assume it is not a secure site.

Of course, transmitting your data over secure channels is of little value to you if the merchant stores the data unscrambled. You should try to find out if the merchant stores the data in encrypted form. If a hacker is able to intrude, it cannot obtain your credit data and other personal information. Be sure to read the merchant's privacy and security policies to learn how it safeguards your personal data on its computers. (See tip 3 below.)

2 - Research the web site THOROUGHLY before you order.

It is advisable that you do business with companies you already know. If the company is unfamiliar, do your homework before buying their products. If you decide to buy something from an unknown company, start out with an inexpensive order to learn if the company is trustworthy.

Reliable companies should advertise their physical business address and at least one phone number, either customer service or an order line. Call the phone number and ask questions to determine if the business is legitimate. Even if you call after hours, many companies have a "live" answering service, especially if they don't want to miss orders. Ask how the merchant handles returned merchandise and complaints. Find out if it offers full refunds or only store credits.

You could also call on friends or family members who live in the city listed to verify the validity of the company. Remember, anyone can create a Web site.

3 - Read the web site's Privacy and Security Policies THOROUGHLY.

Every reputable online Web site offers information about how it processes your order. It is usually listed in the section titled “Privacy Policy.” You can find out if the merchant intends to share your information with a third party or affiliate company. Do they require these companies to refrain from marketing to their customers? If not, you can expect to receive “spam” (unsolicited email) and even mail or phone solicitations from these companies.

You can also learn what type of information is gathered by the Web site, and how it is — or is not — shared with others. The online merchant’s data security practices are also often explained in the Privacy Policy, or perhaps a separate Security Policy.

Look for online merchants who are members of a seal-of-approval program that sets voluntary guidelines for privacy-related practices, such as Interswitch (www.interswitchng.com), Visa (www.visa.com), or MasterCard (www.mastercard.com).

However, be aware that a strong privacy policy and membership in a Web-seal program doesn't guarantee that the Web merchant will protect your privacy forever. Policies can change. The company can file for bankruptcy and sell its customer data base. The Web merchant might be purchased by another company with a weaker privacy policy. And the company’s data can be subpoenaed for law enforcement investigations or civil cases. You have little control over the use of your customer data in such matters.

Given all of these uncertainties, you will want to think about the sensitivity of the data that is being compiled about you when you shop online. I cannot prescribe the best approach to take. Each consumer has a different interpretation of what is considered “sensitive.”

4 - Decide which is safest for you: Credit Cards, ATM Debit Cards, Cash, or Checks?

It is believed that the safest way to shop on the Internet is with a credit card. In the event something goes wrong, you are protected under the federal Fair Credit Billing Act. You have the right to dispute charges on your credit card, and you can withhold payments during a creditor investigation. When it has been determined that your credit was used without authorization, you are only responsible for the first $50 in charges. You are rarely asked to pay this charge.

Make sure your credit card is a true credit card and not a debit card, a check card, or an ATM card. As with checks, a debit card exposes your bank account to thieves. Your checking account could be wiped out in minutes. Further, debit and ATM cards are not protected by federal law to the extent that credit cards are. Note that this is only applicable to shoppers in countries that run a credit system.

For a countries like Nigeria that don't operate a credit system, shoppers are advised to get acquainted with laws that guide the use of ATM Debit Cards.

Online shopping by check leaves you vulnerable to bank fraud. And sending a cashier's check or money order doesn't give you any protection if you have problems with the purchase.

Never pay for online purchases by using a money transfer service. You could be transferring cash to a fraudster. Scammers will ask shoppers to send them payment using a money transfer service such as Western Union or MoneyGram because they can get your cash fast and it’s difficult to trace. Legitimate sellers normally do not ask shoppers to send payment that way. Money transfer services should only be used to send money to people that you know well, not to unknown sellers of merchandise online.

5 - Never Give Out Your Card Number over the phone, or via mail to complete an online purchase.

Providing your card number/pin over the phone or via e-mail is not a requirement for placing an order at an online shopping site. There is no need for the merchant to ask for it.

6 - Disclose Only the Required Facts When You Order

When placing an order, there are certain information that you must provide to the web merchant such as your name and address. Often, a merchant will try to obtain more information about you. They may ask questions about your leisure lifestyle or annual income. This information is used to target you for marketing purposes. It can lead to "spam" or even direct mail and telephone solicitations.

Don't answer any question you feel is not required to process your order. Often, the web site will mark which questions need to be answered with an asterisk (*). Should a company require information you are not comfortable sharing, leave  the site and find a different company for the product you seek.

7 - Keep Your Online Password Private

Many online shopping sites require the shopper to log-in before placing or viewing an order. The shopper is usually required to provide a username and a password.

Never reveal your password to anyone. When selecting a password, do not use commonly known information, such as your birth date, mother's maiden name, or numbers from your driver's license. Do not reuse the same password for other sites, particularly sites associated with sensitive information. The best password has at least eight characters and includes numbers and letters.

8 - Check the Web Site Address To Make Sure You Are Dealing With The Right Company

The address bar at the top of your device's screen contains the web site address (also called the URL, or Uniform Resource Locator). By checking that address, you can make sure that you are dealing with the correct company.

Don’t click on any link embedded within a potentially suspicious email. Instead, start a new Internet session by typing in the link’s URL into the address bar and pressing “Enter” to be sure you are directed to a legitimate Web site.

9 - Don't Fall for "Phishing" Messages

Identity thieves send massive numbers of emails to Internet users that ask them to update the account information for their banks, credit cards, online payment service, or popular shopping sites. The email may state that your account information has expired, been compromised or lost and that you need to immediately resend it to the company.

Some emails sent as part of such “phishing” expeditions often contain links to official-looking Web pages. Other times the emails ask the consumer to download and submit an electronic form.

Remember, legitimate businesses don’t ask for sensitive information via email. Don’t respond to any request for financial information that comes to you in an email. Again, don’t click on any link embedded within a suspicious email, and always call the retailer or financial institution to verify your account status before divulging any information.

10 - Always Print or Save Copies of Your Orders

After placing an order online, you should receive a confirmation page that reviews your entire order. It should include the costs of the order, your customer information, product information, and the confirmation number.

It is recommended that you print out or save a copy of the Web page(s) describing the item you ordered as well as the page showing company name, postal address, phone number, and legal terms, including return policy. Keep it for your own records for at least the period covered by the return/warranty policy.

Often you will also receive a confirmation message that is e-mailed to you by the merchant. Be sure to save and/or print this message as well as any other e-mail correspondence with the company.

11 - Shop with Companies Located Within the Country You Reside In.

When you shop within Nigeria, you are protected by the Federal Government's Consumer Laws. You might not get the same protection if you place an order with a company located in another country.

12 - Pay Attention to Shipping Facts

Under the law, a company must ship your order within the time stated in its ad. If no time frame is stated, the merchant must ship the product in 30 days or give you an "Option Notice." This gives you an opportunity to cancel the order and receive a prompt refund, or agree to the delay.

Here are key shipping questions to ask:

    Does the site tell you if there are geographic or other restrictions for delivery?
    Are there choices for shipping?
    Who pays the shipping cost?
    What does the site say about shipping insurance?
    What are the shipping and handling fees, and are they reasonable?

13 - Learn the Store's Cancellation, Return and Complaint-Handling Policies.

Even under the best of circumstances, shoppers sometimes need to return merchandise. Check the Web site for cancellation and return policies.  Be sure to check for the following:

    Who pays for shipping?
    Is there a time limit or other restrictions to the return or cancellation?
    Is there a restocking charge if you need to cancel or return the order?
    Do you get a store credit, or will the company fully refund your charges to your credit/ATM card? 
    Does the merchant post a phone number and/or e-mail address for complaints?
    How long has the company been in business?
    Will they still be around when you need them?
    Is there an easy, local way for you to get repairs or service?
    Is there a warranty on the product, and who honors that guarantee?
    What are the limits, and under what circumstances can you exercise your warranty rights?

Don't expect less customer service just because a company operates over the Internet. This is especially important if you are buying something that may need to be cleaned or serviced on occasion.

14 - Use Shopper's Intuition

Look at the site with a critical eye. And heed the old adage, "If it looks too good to be true, it probably is."  If any of these questions trigger a warning bell in your head, you will be wise to find another online merchant:

    Are there extraordinary claims that you question?
    Do the company's prices seem unusually low?
    Does it look like the merchant is an amateur?
    Are there a lot of spelling or grammar errors?
    Does the company's phone go unanswered.
    The use of a post office box might not send up a red flag, but a merchant who does not also provide the company's physical address might be cause for concern.

15 - Be Wary of Identity Theft.

As online shopping becomes more common, there will be more cases of identity theft committed over the Internet. Imposters are likely to obtain their victims' identifying information using low-tech means like dumpster diving, mail theft, or workplace access to SSNs. But they are increasingly using the Web to apply for new credit cards and to purchase goods and services in their victims' names.

The same advice for avoiding low-tech identity theft applies to shopping on the Internet. Many are mentioned in the above tips. Most important: Be aware of who you are buying from. And use true credit cards for purchases, not debit cards.

I recommend that you check your credit card/ATM card bills carefully for several months after purchasing on the Internet. Look for purchases you did not make. If you find some, immediately contact the card issuing bank or company and file a dispute claim.

16 - Be Cautious with Electronic Signatures

A federal law enables shoppers to verify online purchases with merchants using an electronic signature. Usually, this process is nothing more than clicking on a box that says you accept the terms of the order.

The Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, also known as the E-Sign Act, is a complex law. It states that electronic signatures and electronic records used in interstate and foreign commerce will not be denied validity just because they are in electronic form. Further, the law says that online purchases do not need to be accompanied by the more traditional handwritten signature on a paper document.

Consumer advocates opposed the law because it lacks important safeguard against fraud. For example, the law does not require online merchants to comply with such standards as message integrity (security and accuracy in transmission), privacy of customer data, and authentication of sender.

The faults of the E-Sign Act require you to shop cautiously on the Internet. The tips offered in this guide will help you make sure the online companies you choose are secure and honest.

17 - Know How Online Auctions Operate

Online auctions connect buyers and sellers, allowing them to communicate in a bidding process over items for sale. Many people are drawn to online auction sites because they allow you to buy items at discounted prices. And they offer a chance to sell some of your unneeded or unwanted possessions to raise extra money. For the most part, online auction sites are a safe way to exchange goods. But it makes sense to be cautious and aware.

The first step in safely using an online auction site is to read the terms of use, which will outline key issues such as whether or not the seller or the site is responsible for any problems that arise. Learn a site's return policy, as it may be difficult to return merchandise bought at auction. It's critical to check the policy, because you may be required to follow the seller's refund policy, rather than that of the auction site.

Once a consumer has agreed to a price with a seller, the buyer and seller arrange for payment and delivery of the product. Successful bidders can usually choose among several payment options, such as credit card, online payment service, debit card, personal check, cashier's check, money order, or escrow service.

If a seller requests payment in cash by private courier, or by check or money order through an overnight delivery service, you have a right to be suspicious. This could signal an attempt to commit fraud by taking your money without delivering the merchandise.

It always makes sense to pay by credit card because you'll have an option to seek a credit from the credit card issuer (also known as a "chargeback") if the product isn't delivered or isn't what you ordered.

To protect both buyers and sellers, some auction sites prohibit the use of wire transfers as a payment method. The Federal Trade Commission recommends that buyers do not pay by wire transfer because if something goes wrong, you are left with no refund and no recourse.

Another popular way to pay at auctions is with online payment services, such as PayPal. In this scenario, the buyer and seller set up accounts that allow them to make or accept payments. Buyers provide payment information, like bank account or credit card numbers, and sellers give information about where payments should be deposited. Some online payment services offer protection if the seller doesn't ship the goods.

Sellers can be scammed too. Fake check scams are the most common problem, although they can be avoided by not accepting checks, especially cashier's or certified checks, as payment, and by waiting to ship the goods until you get your payment in a reliable form.

If a buyer offers you a cashier's (or certified) check for more than the amount of the item, and asks you to wire them the excess amount, don't do it. This it is a classic example of a fake check scam.

If you encounter a problem with a buyer or seller at an online auction site, such as eBay, it's important to report the problem to the site right away. You are probably not the only person being taken advantage of and you could help shut down illegal or unethical sellers by alerting the site to the problem.

18 - Understand Your Responsibility for Sales and Use Taxes Online

Generally Internet shopping is sales tax free, but there's a catch. If an online merchant has a physical presence in your state, it is required to charge you sales tax. In most states, shoppers are required to pay tax on online purchases, even if the store doesn't collect it. Most states call this a "use tax."

19 - And finally, Be Aware of Dynamic Pricing

Some online retailers use dynamic pricing to engage in price discrimination by charging different prices to different shoppers for identical goods or services. When you purchase goods or services online, you may be paying a higher or lower price than another online customer buying the same item from the same site at the same time. While online shopping enables shoppers to easily compare prices, it also allows businesses to collect detailed information about a customer's purchasing history and preferences. Online stores can use that information to customize the prices they charge you.

While dynamic pricing has existed for a long time for time-sensitive products such as airline tickets, hotel room reservations, and rental cars, it’s difficult to justify the use of dynamic pricing for goods and services that are not of a time-sensitive nature.

Online merchants can easily implement dynamic pricing by placing cookies on a customer’s computer which will track the user’s past interactions with the site. By using this information, sites can customize their interactions based on your past activities. Online stores can read the cookies on your browser to determine what products or services you searched for and bought and how much you paid for them. This information helps them to predict how much you might be willing to pay for a product or service. In addition, click-stream technology allows a site to trace the path that a user follows as they view different pages on the site.

Some online stores may also consider other factors when determining pricing. For example, merchants might charge higher prices to customers who make repeated returns or demand extra service.

There are several ways that you may be able to defeat dynamic pricing. Obviously, do not log in to a site before you obtain a price quote. Be sure to clear the cookies from your browser before you visit a site. Visit sites from different browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, and others). Utilize price comparison sites that check prices from multiple vendors. Finally, if you do log in to a site, try leaving items in your shopping cart for a few days, to see if the merchant offers any discounts.

The points highlighted above are not all the measures that one can take to stay safe while shopping online, but they are good for a start. You too could mention steps you employ for safe online shopping as comments below for others to learn from.

Happy shopping everyone. Stay safe.