AEB, CECA and Unacc promote a Decalogue to improve personalised customer service for the elderly and people with disabilities.
Branches will extend their face-to-face customer service hours for the provision of teller services.
Seniors will receive preferential attention in branches and by telephone.
ATMs, applications and websites will be adapted with simplified language and interface.
With the aim of contributing to accelerate progress towards an inclusive economy and not leaving any group unattended, the banking associations AEB, CECA and Unacc have adopted a Decalogue of measures to advance in the short term in personalised customer service for the provision of financial services to the senior segment and those with disabilities, who require special attention.
The associations undertake to ensure that their members carry out a diagnosis of the current situation and adopt as soon as possible, and at the latest within six months, the measures contained in this Decalogue adapted to their business model in such a way as to ensure that people over 65 and people with disabilities receive personalised, satisfactory customer service without unjustified delays.
DECALOGUE FOR PERSONALISED CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR THE ELDERLY
1. Extension of the face-to-face customer service period for the provision of teller services so that it spans, at the very least, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. This service will be provided over the counter or at the ATM.
2. Preferential treatment for the elderly in branches, with priority during busy periods in branches.
3. Mandatory specific training for sales network staff regarding the needs of this group.
(4-digit) Preferential telephone attention at no additional cost or direct, through a personal contact person.
5. Telephone customer service hours must run at least between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. for customers to whom services are provided without a branch.
6. Ensure the adaptability, accessibility and simplicity of the channels according to their use, making versions with simplified language and interface available to these customers.
7. Repair of out-of-service ATMs to ensure the provision of cash within a maximum of 2 working days and information on the nearest alternative ATM.
8. Offering customers financial and digital education and fraud prevention actions through the most appropriate channel.
9. Financial institutions will notify elderly customers of the measures they adopt to inform them of the improvements at their disposal.
10. Expansion of the Financial Inclusion Observatory's remit so that it can adequately monitor the measures adopted by financial institutions for the personalised provision of financial services.
The banking sector thereby reasserts its firm commitment to constantly improve its customer service, especially for senior citizens, who are already benefiting from specific measures, such as the advance payment of pensions, physical and digital accessibility programmes, or the availability of branches within non-financial institutions to carry out various operations in municipalities without a branch, among many others.
The Decalogue to improve customer service for the elderly is part of a wide range of measures to promote financial inclusion, especially in rural areas and for groups at risk of exclusion, which the three banking associations have signed after informing the General Secretariat of the Treasury of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation of its content and development.
Read the "Strategic protocol to reinforce the social and sustainable commitment of the banking sector"