Annual Report 2007

tions of “client advisor” and “client relationship
manager” were created to provide a team at the
branch level with the capabilities required to develop
both credit and deposit operations for the
bank’s customers in line with the institution’s
long-term goals.
At head office level, the bank strengthened its
Deposits and Banking Services Division by creating
co-ordination units for the individual and
institutional client segments as well as for the
project to introduce debit cards and ATMs. To
make processes more efficient, shorten response
times, and enhance the quality of customer service,
the bank reallocated responsibility for various
tasks between the branch-level operations
and banking services units. To ensure that the
bank’s organisational structures provided a suitable
basis for the expansion of the deposit portfolio,
it improved the relevant processes and selected
and trained staff to work in the Business
Client Division. In addition, the bank redesigned
the training programme for new and existing staff
and held refresher workshops focusing on deposits
and banking services for middle managers.
To facilitate the development of its business, the
bankcreatedaQualityandProcessesDepartment,
which is responsible for monitoring the quality
of service provided to customers and for developing
and improving products and processes.
The implementation of the new strategy sends
a clear message about the importance the bank
places upon the integrated development of its
business. The bank will continue to focus on developing
its deposit business, given the challenge
which this represents for an institution that has a
long and successful track record as a lender, but
which has devoted less attention to developing its
savings facilities and other non-credit services.
Initial results from the fourth quarter of 2007
show signs of a real breakthrough in the growth
of deposits and provide grounds for optimism
with regard to the bank’s ability to meet this challenge,
particularly since the staff’s commitment
to improving the institution’s performance in this
area has been so clearly demonstrated.
S p e c i a l F e at u r e