As Politicians Warn BOV’s Physical Customer Service On The Decline, Bank Gives Its Side Of The Story
Facing mounting criticism by politicians over the level of its physical customer services, Bank of Valletta has defended its operations, voicing its regret at delays and encouraging more customers to move online.
Lovin Malta asked BOV how it responds to criticism at long queues outside its outlets and how it plans to improve customer service in general, and this is how the major bank answered.
“Bank of Valletta is offering a number of channels to service cheque customers including ATM and express deposits, apart from cashier services,” a BOV spokesperson responded.
“Customers are thus able to choose the channel to best service their needs. Bank of Valletta currently has 34 branches operating and ninety ATMs around Malta and Gozo making it thus the largest and most accessible network on the Maltese islands – a number that is larger than all of the other banks taken together.”
It also said it took initiatives to extend cashier services to six days a week, extended its cashiering opening hours from 8:30am-12pm to 2pm and beyond until customers waiting to encash their cheques are serviced, and increased the number of cashiers in certain branches where possible.
BOV urged customers to shift further online to “optimise efficiency” and minimise burdens on its customers and staff.
“We have seen a significant shift in favour of the use of digital channels where in fact over 95% of transactions are now being effected digitally, thanks to which the bank was particularly effective in managing the challenges posed by COVID-19,” BOV said.
“It is the bank’s strategy to continue to be there for the community residing in the Maltese islands. This comes at a cost, such that the bank is compelled to provide its services in a modern and efficient manner, and which therefore needs to change from that which we may have been used to in the past.”
“We encourage our customers to participate and enable this process, for their own benefit, and for that of the economy as a whole.
It said that while it regrets situations where customer service experiences delays, these are “limited to specific locations, periods and times”.
“The bank is doing its best to minimise these inconveniences subject to the very real constraints on its human and physical resources,” it said. “The bank would like to reiterate its gratitude to staff members at branches for their continued efforts and dedication, meeting the demands of our esteemed customers while gearing up to ever more exacting regulatory requirements.”
“It is thanks to their efforts, in many cases well beyond the expectation of duty, that the bank continues to ensure service continuity and wide accessibility in extraordinarily challenging circumstances. With everyone’s help, we are on the way to building a better bank for the Maltese community to be proud of.”
PN MP Adrian Delia
A number of politicians, including Valletta mayor Alfred Zammit, St Julian’s vice mayor Clayton Luke Mula and PN MP Adrian Delia have criticised BOV for its customer service in recent days.
Delia accused the bank of “treating people like animals” and said that while he disagrees with government intervention, “something must be done” if the bank continues ignoring the situation.
New PN MP Graziella Galea has written to the bank’s management, urging them to immediately bring back the physical services it used to offer clients in her hometown of St Paul’s Bay and surrounding towns.
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