Lloyds call centre upsets customers
Lloyds TSB has angered a number of customers who were left hanging on the line when calling the new call centre number in order to sort out their finances. An 0845 number was issued to customers, but when customers of the bank dialled the number they were told that their enquiry was being dealt with but were left hanging on the line for ten minutes or more.
One of the things that angered customers, aside from wasting time being left holding and listening to an automated message, is that the call was costing three pence per minute and around half of that charge was being pocketed by Lloyds TSB, which meant that the bank was actually profiting from their frustration. Even worse, the bank had promised that the new system would provide customers with a more efficient and faster service, which clearly it was not doing.
After claiming that the automated service would prove more beneficial and efficient to consumers, the bank went on to close its call centre in Bombay. This move saw two hundred members of staff losing their jobs, and the bank claimed that staff reductions were viable because of the efficiency of the automated system.
However, staff agencies are also annoyed with the bank, stating that it has misled consumers and the media, as well as its own staff, by claiming that the new system means that its staffing levels are adequate because the system is so efficient. Not only have customers had to pay a fortune to simply be left hanging on the line, but staff have been left to deal with the mayhem without the necessary resources of adequate staffing levels to do so, according to the staff agencies. The bank has also issued an apology to customers over the delays and the lack of service.
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