Banks with cashiers, not sales staff

opinions4u

beetwaste wrote: »

Seems an odd way of selling products anyway. I can't believe you get such a variety of people through the door of the bank that you can sell stuff anyway? Surely there comes a point where you've seen everybody.

I managed several branches in my time.

A typical medium sized branch saw c3,000 transactions a week, in excess of 150,000 a year - probably a good 15,000 to 30,000 different customers.

Each cashier saw around 600 of those customers a week, 120 a day. Have a crack at 15% of those - that's 18 opportunities, get a third of them sat down with sales staff, that 6 leads. Sell a product to half of them, job's a good 'un - the branch will hit its target.

And in 90%+ of cases the branch could offer those customers sat down at least one better product than they had at the time, sometimes through churning the company's back book products (in the customer's interest) or, preferably, by pinching business from a competitor.

When done through friendly chit chat it comes across as natural and unintrusive. Unfortunately you will get cashiers who aren't that subtle - irritiating to the extreme!

Research the market and do it yourself - best bet.

Review your account with your bank - better than doing nothing.

Doing nothing - the best hope the banks have of paying big bonuses.

Sally22_2

Loanranger wrote: »

I've never been given any sales patter from HSBC.

The PO really irritates me: when sending something first class and asking for a COP always elicits, Is it urgent, does it need to get there tomorrow?' Er, thinking, yes that's why I want to buy first class stamps. 'Oh but you need Special Delivery Next Day' No, I definitely don't thank you.
I now avoid one particular cashier as she looks at me daggers drawn when I politely say, no thanks.
It's called upselling isn't it?

We are told to speak to every postal customer about SD because apparantly they did a survey and most people dont actually know the difference between 1st/Recorded/Special Delivery and we have to make sure the customer is getting the right service for your item.

The questions you mentioned 'does it need to get there tomorrow/is it urgent' is part of the conversation we are supposed to be having with every mails customer so they are actually doing their job right, sorry but thats the way it is!

We also have to try and sell loads of products, in fact I would say we have it harder than the banks as we have to try and sell

-Insurance - Car/Home/Life/Over 50s/Travel/Van/Pet
-Savings Products - ISA's/Growth Bonds/Instant Savers
-Telephony - Homephone/Broadband
-Travel - Money/Travellers Cheques/Travel Money Card/Insurance
- Mortgages and Credit Cards

Plus all the mails customers and business banking, car taxes, passport check and sends etc etc

Fair enough we get a better basic wage than the banks but we still have to do a hell of a lot, we do alot more varied transactions, we have to know all the different postage options etc etc and we DO feel the pressure! So think twice before you have a go at us!

The frontline always feel the brunt of it sadly but we still offer service with a smile! (most of the time!)

chambta

Sally22 wrote: »

We are told to speak to every postal customer about SD because apparantly they did a survey and most people dont actually know the difference between 1st/Recorded/Special Delivery and we have to make sure the customer is getting the right service for your item.

The questions you mentioned 'does it need to get there tomorrow/is it urgent' is part of the conversation we are supposed to be having with every mails customer so they are actually doing their job right, sorry but thats the way it is!

We also have to try and sell loads of products, in fact I would say we have it harder than the banks as we have to try and sell

-Insurance - Car/Home/Life/Over 50s/Travel/Van/Pet
-Savings Products - ISA's/Growth Bonds/Instant Savers
-Telephony - Homephone/Broadband
-Travel - Money/Travellers Cheques/Travel Money Card/Insurance
- Mortgages and Credit Cards

Plus all the mails customers and business banking, car taxes, passport check and sends etc etc

Fair enough we get a better basic wage than the banks but we still have to do a hell of a lot, we do alot more varied transactions, we have to know all the different postage options etc etc and we DO feel the pressure! So think twice before you have a go at us!

The frontline always feel the brunt of it sadly but we still offer service with a smile! (most of the time!)

It's far from natural to be shoe-horning questions in about broadband and mortgages when people are sending a parcel.

At the least the sensible bank cashier can wait for an obvious prompt - paying in a large cheque, looking at direct debits etc.

dzug1

chambta wrote: »

It's far from natural to be shoe-horning questions in about broadband and mortgages when people are sending a parcel.

A total aside - but most people who think they are sending a parcel aren't. They are sending a packet.

Sally22_2

Your right, obviously we have to look at related conversations but sometimes we do have to go for the unrelated transactions if we havent hit our target yet.

chambta

Sally22 wrote: »

Your right, obviously we have to look at related conversations but sometimes we do have to go for the unrelated transactions if we havent hit our target yet.

It wouldn't be so bad but the bloke they try and refer you to in my local main post office sweats alot and looks like the sort of fella you'd be wary of leaving children with.

pinkdalek

Why just not politely say No Thankyou.

Don't be rude I mean how would you feel if someone was rude to you?

Don't shoot the messenger they are only doing what they are paid to do.

Another way of looking at it would be how would you feel if your bank failed to let you know on other offers that you may be missing out on. Not everyone keeps up to date with banking products via Moneyfacts, newspapers, internet. A lot of people seem happy to just plod along and assume they are in the best account. Cut the cashiers some slack, afterall they are not forcing you into it.

pmduk

It would be better if they spent time teaching some of the delivery staff that recorded delivery letters need to be signed for.

ThumbRemote

After queuing up for 20 minutes or more in a post office before finally getting served, when I'm asked about broadband/insurance etc I always point out they can't even provide decent service in their main business, why on earth would I want to deal with them for anything else?

JacksterD

chambta wrote: »

It's far from natural to be shoe-horning questions in about broadband and mortgages when people are sending a parcel.

At the least the sensible bank cashier can wait for an obvious prompt - paying in a large cheque, looking at direct debits etc.

The reason we ask people the questions on the value of their item and how urgent it is is that the vast majority of our customers have no idea of the postal services available to them, and it's incredibly easy to get people to take a premium service when they came in for First Class, simply because they realise First Class is inappropriate for their item and they really do benefit from using a higher end service.

As for shoe-horning in questions - I don't know what happens in other branches, but when an elderly customer comes in with a sky high BT phone bill I always offer the PO phone service because it really is cheaper, and the people we signed up over a year ago are still with us today and have lower bills.

I can't imagine why any clerk would offer a mortgage while a customer was sending mail. The only thing I can imagine being sold during a mail transaction is a PO credit card, and that would only be if the customer is paying by credit card.

ThumbRemote wrote:

After queuing up for 20 minutes or more in a post office before finally getting served, when I'm asked about broadband/insurance etc I always point out they can't even provide decent service in their main business, why on earth would I want to deal with them for anything else?

If this is a common occurrence then I'd file a complaint with the Post Office online - such waiting times are well above the PO's targets.