As part of efforts to make banking “simpler and smarter” for its
teeming customers, Union Bank has unveiled two of its upgraded branches
in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.
Union Bank "new look" |
It also launched an innovative
savings product, UnionKorrect, which it said was designed to assist
customers “save small and win big.”
The two upgraded branches of the bank unveiled are located on Bank Road, Dugbe, and the University College Hospital (UCH).
Speaking
at the event, Joe Mbulu, Transformation Director Union Bank, said the
bank had in the past three years been working and improving on its
physical infrastructure to provide customers a more comfortable banking
environment.
“We have done a lot of work in the background such
that when customers come into the new Union Bank, they can see it’s as
good as (if not better than) any other bank in Nigeria.” In fact, our
goal is to make it better than any other bank in Nigeria,” he said.
But
beyond the physical infrastructure upgrade, Mbulu said the bank had
improved on its operations, especially its technology. Customers can now
walk into any of the branches and open an account (including processing
of ATM card) in less than 30 minutes.
He said, “Our
transformation transcends the physical branch. We used to have archaic
technology, we admit. The old Union Bank was a bit difficult to work
with; but we have currently the best in banking technology in Nigeria.
“We
have (also) built a world class data centre in Lagos; and we have a
backup of that databank. So, the era of ‘system down’ in Union Bank is
over.
He said in the area of operations, the new Union Bank has
centralized basic operations, services and processes, so that in all the
branches across the nation, there will be “uniform processes” of
simpler and smarter banking operations.
Speaking also with
newsmen, the bank’s Head of Strategy Union Bank , Lola Cardoso, said the
launch of the branches was evidence of the transformation the bank had
gone through in the last three years as well as the transformation that
is yet to come.
“As you can see, there is a difference between
what you see today and what was here before. We present a simpler,
smarter bank. Beside the ambience being more comfortable for our
customers, it also demonstrates the fact that we’ve invested in
technology. Customers can come in, carry out their transaction and leave
in a short time; get attended to with more improved services, and at
the same time (we) have a brand identity that is more vibrant than we
had before.
“So, really this is about making banking simpler so that people can focus on the things that matter most,” she said.
‘We
commenced with our people by optimizing our talent base. We hired the
right people for the right roles and aligned our compensation with
industry standard.
We strengthened our technology by undertaking
the task of rolling out a brand new banking platform and successfully
implemented it.
We built a state of the art datacentre. We also
built the central processing centre to streamline and standardize
operations across board.
We restructured our business model to
focus clearly on banking. We also re-enhanced our product and service
offerings for our retail, commercial and corporate segments.’ she noted
Cardoso
added that ‘Our goal remains singular, to enhance our customer
experience. We have begun refurbishing and renovating our branches and
today you will notice that our branches have modern aesthetics. We would
ensure to maintain a minimum standard across our branches and to ensure
they are located in the right areas serving the right kind of
customers.
The Osi Olubadan, High Chief (Sen.)Lekan Balogun, who
represented the Olubadan Ibadan at the occasion, said after inspecting
the new branches of Union Bank: “It promises to be a new era in banking,
with the new branches and new technology; one that we may never have
seen before in this country. I’m impressed.
Bukola Idowu
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