Covefi : Addressing enquiries

Simple but effective steps address two issues critical to online customer satisfaction.

The Site

Covefi is one of France’s largest and longest-established ‘distance’, or branchless, banks, offering its 325,000 clients a range of financial services from savings accounts to loans or life assurance.

As well as promoting and explaining the bank’s products the website constantly offers visitors the option of contacting an advisor. A prominent feature of the left-hand panel present on every web page is a choice of numero vert (freephone number), e-mail (“Joindre par mail”), direct dialogue or call-back (“Rappel immédiat”).

The e-mail option links to a list of seven addresses each of which is related to a type of action. For example, if you wish to send a message to a financial advisor the address is covefi@covefi.fr; to modify your bank account it is ma-banque@covefi.fr. In the message form directly beneath the list you select the corresponding option from a drop-down menu in the e-mail address panel, add your own e-mail address and message and press “je valide” (validate).

The Takeaway

Covefi is taking simple but effective steps to address two issues that are critical to online customer satisfaction: availability of help and speed of response to enquiries.

A recent survey of French internet users by Benchmark Group found that of the 25% who have yet to buy goods or services online, 84% are held back by the fear of not knowing where to find help. Covefi’s ever-present advisor links are a visible reassurance to the wary while its e-mail address menu adds further encouragement that you can get through direct to the ‘right department’.

Covefi also benefits from making the customer to do the initial filtering of e-mails, freeing up service centre staff to concentrate on the response (or allowing it to cap staffing levels).

All of this helps Covefi reinforce its promise to listen and respond to customers promptly and personally. And it is management commitment to customer service rather than technology per se that is driving the deployment of this feature.

First published on 05 August, 2003