Customer Service Tech Support

With many banks expanding their Internet presence, we find a customer service problem, in that the people who staff our bank offices are not able to answer the technical questions that come from customers who want to use the Internet services.

Several smaller banks have discovered a way to meet this need without expanding the size of their staff. The banks are using a third party that helps customer service by working in tandem with the bank's staff.

The outsourced tech support desk person answers technical questions such as how to connect to the Internet, configure modems, and navigate websites, as well as how to use bank-at-home software.

The Savings Bank of Manchester, Manchester, CT, provides its customers free Microsoft Money 98 software. It has hired 800 Support, a pay-for-support company in Portland, Ore., to answer questions on using that software and connecting to the Internet. Marquette Banks, N.A., Portland, OR, hired 800 Support last fall when it launched "On-Line Banking", a home banking service that enables retail customers basic banking functions using Intuit Quicken or Microsoft Money.

The support provided by the third party is an extension to the banks' own help desks, where customers get answers to banking questions. You can contact 800 Support at www.800support.com or at (800) 777-9608.

Copyright © 1999 Bankers' Hotline. Originally appeared in Bankers' Hotline, Vol. 9, No. 11, 11/99