A Personalized Banking and Loans Call Center

A Personalized Banking and Loans Call Center

Tiffany Frederick’s office at the Ogdensburg Branch looks like many others, with a warm wood tone, multiple computer monitors, and pictures of family spread out across a desk. Except for the blue backdrop with North Country Saving’s Bank logo found behind her—a backdrop she uses when fielding video calls from ITM customers—those walking into the branch would hardly know she’s the supervisor of NCSB’s Call Center, a small team of Relationship Specialists who field calls Monday through Friday during business hours.

When people think of a call center, they tend to imagine open office spaces in faraway places, with dozens of detached workers putting customers on hold. For many businesses and banks that can be the case, as this method of fielding calls requires less on-site training and typically saves the business money. But is it effective? And does it benefit the customer?

“While technology is critical to the operations and efficiency of all businesses,” says NCSB President & CEO R. Brian Coakley, “People and relationships remain the foundation of our approach to serving our banking and loan customers in the North Country. We gain the most satisfaction from hearing a familiar voice or seeing an occasional smile.”

Keeping the Customer in Mind

Customers can expect to hear a familiar voice as well. NCSB’s Call Center features four relationship specialists in addition to Fredericks. They are all North Country natives and work in-branch, two of them in Ogdensburg, two in Massena, and another in Potsdam. According to Fredericks, working in-branch helps keep the Relationship Specialists connected to what’s going on in the bank. “We can say to the customer, I am in this location, I can easily assist you with whatever you need here.”

At one point, North Country Savings customers were greeted by an automated prompt system when calling in, but customer feedback showed they preferred to speak with someone immediately. Changes were made, and phone lines are now picked up by a real representative without the hassle of choosing from a menu. That’s the core idea behind the Call Center’s mission: that the bank or loan customer’s needs are addressed quickly and with a personal touch.

How to Reach our Relationship Specialists

NCSB Relationship Specialists are also available for video calls through our new ITMs (Interactive Teller Machines) during business hours. The ITMs allow customers to withdraw more than they typically would from an ATM, and offers options to make loan payments or deposits. While in-person interactions cannot be replaced, this technology offers NCSB customers another option for completing their banking needs.

NCSB Relationship Specialists are available from 8am to 4pm, and until 5pm on Fridays and can be reached by calling: (315) 386-4533.