Lloyds TSB Scotland

Introducing Polish-speaking staff to its Hanover Street branch in Edinburgh has helped Lloyds TSB Scotland widen its reach.

The Bank has been recruiting Poles since the start of 2007 as part of an upgrading programme to nine of its branches, including four in Scotland, which each now have at least one Polish-speaking member of staff.

The Hanover Street branch initially dedicated a small section to Polish translations of its marketing material. Three Polish-speaking customer service staff were then recruited to help handle enquiries from Polish customers.

One of these, Robert Zebala, has recently been promoted to Personal Banking Manager, which involves direct contact with customers on a daily basis to discuss their banking needs.

Lisa Stephenson, Marketing Director for Lloyds TSB Scotland, said: "Our Polish customers are much more comfortable speaking face-to-face with someone who can talk their own language, particularly when it involves discussing finance and technical issues.

"To make sure our products are meeting the customer's needs, we have to explain them in detail. For example, if a current account includes mobile phone insurance, we need to make sure the Polish customers fully understand what they're signing up for, and having the Polish-speaking staff guarantees that."

All the Polish staff speak very good English so work as part of the team helping other customers at the branch. As customer service advisers, they have to be good at working and conversing with people and understanding the customers' needs. They also receive full training on the mechanics of the bank's products and the customer service role.

Stephenson said having the Poles on board helped to increase awareness of the bank in the wider Polish community and helped other Lloyds TSB staff find out more about Polish people, language and culture.
 
"The Polish-speaking staff members share a lot of cultural information with the rest of the team, which widens their scope when meeting and greeting our Polish customers," said Stephenson. "If a Polish customer can't speak to a Polish member of staff there and then, we can still make them feel welcome and give them the right literature to take away."

Case study:2008

Contact details

Steve Clark
HR Business Partner in Scotland
07739 817347
Website: www.lloydstsb.com