January 27th, 2012 | Banking |
Barclays telephone banking-is it a good system or not? Let’s look at the 2 most important variables:
#1) Customer service
This is obviously VERY important in telephone banking. How is the service?
Like practically all other banks today, Barclays outsources their call centers. Translated: you’d better cross your fingers and hope you get somebody who speaks good English.
However, their employees generally tend to be well screened… and for the most part tend are knowledgeable and speak English well. More often than not you will have a good experience-at least when speaking with someone.
The problem is getting to speak to somebody. It’s not uncommon to experience extraordinarily long wait times when calling during busy hours.
#2) Ease of use
Barclays telephone banking is relatively easy to understand, which is good because it means you should rarely have to speak to someone in the first place. You can perform almost any function over the phone that you could at a physical branch.
Be aware…
One complaint some have had is that occasionally scam artists will call you posing to be from the company… but they are really just after your bank account info. Generally speaking, if someone calls you asking for your info–even if they claim to be from Barclays–don’t give it to them.
Obviously this isn’t a slight against the company-it has nothing to do with them. It’s just something to be careful of.
So is it recommended?
Overall I would say yes. Assuming you don’t have to speak to a live person-and usually you won’t-Barclays telephone banking is a good system to use.
December 21st, 2011 | Banking |
Looking for a home, but don’t have the cash to buy one?
December 7th, 2011 | Banking |
So you want to know how to start a bank? As I’m sure you know, this can be a huge undertaking, and most people are discouraged by all the legal documents and other requirements you have to pass before doing so.
However, if you have the credentials in place, then running your own bank can be an extremely profitable enterprise, as long as you know what you’re doing, practice sound marketing principles, etc. Keep in mind that few other endeavors can be as profitable as running your own bank, so this is something you should certainly pursue, if you have an interest in it.
The number one thing you need to do is consider if it’s within your realm of possibilities to start a bank before getting going. Consider what kind of experience you have, such as business management, financial management, fund raising, etc. having all of these is critical to being a success.
Obviously, with any business you would need business and financial management ability, but with banks, you also need to raise a lot of money just to get off the ground, so being able to raise this is critical as well.
Finally, as this is likely your first time starting a bank, you might want to consider hiring a company that has expertise in bank startups, and there are some of these out there.
These can save you a lot of the headaches typically associated with getting a bank rolling, as they will be able to guide you around the pitfalls and other things you would usually get bogged down with, and I’d highly recommend them.
Yes, it is a bit of an investment, but assuming your bank becomes a success, it will definitely be worth it down the road.
If you are even considering starting a bank, congratulations! For most people, this is so far out of their reality that they never even think about doing this process, and therefore there is a huge opportunity if you have the foresight to do so.
While you definitely aren’t guaranteed to make money with it (just look at what’s happening to banks currently) if you employ effective marketing skills, and know your target market, you will make money. Hopefully this info on how to start a bank will help you get it going as quickly as possible.
