BPI Philippines isn’t keeping up with the internet communication age!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009


Hi Sir Jaime Zobel de Ayala and please pass to action parties at BPI:
BPI banking philippines
BPI banking philippines
I have written BPI several times in the past few years with no changes to their customer or investment communication links to make it easier for customers or investors to contact them worldwide using chat programs or now the widely available Skype call programs free. (footnote 2).  Open more communication links please. And make it easier for customers to find out the current exchange rates without having to sign in!
Currently to call BPI on its website says:  “Should you have urgent banking needs, you may call our 24-hour Call Center. . . BPI Express Phone. Please dial: 89-100 for Metro Manila 1-800-188-89100 for domestic toll-free calls (where available PLDT) International Access Code + 63 + 2 + 89-10000 for international calls”
In todays modern internet age, and customers everywhere around the world,  why does BPI only have a PLDT in country toll free number listed and not a skpe button to call (400 million users), or a 3 digit toll free Globe cell number to call or a Globe landline toll free number, or even better a chat client on its website where customers can chat with your call center immediately to get their concerns resolved like many other international businesses like Superferry and CDRKing already have?  (see references below)  This would allow corporate customers to call toll free from anywhere in the world as well. (footnote 1)
Another suggestion is to have the current peso dollar exchange rate on the main BPI page rather than making customers sign in when the accounts are sometimes down in order to encourage customers to use the excellent BPI foreign exchange facilities it offers.
Finally for VPI customers, why not have a BPI person assigned directly to you and have that representative call you to inform you how to avail of his/her services at BPI.
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Recently my joint account had one of us offered a BPI credit card but not the other account holder which is very strange as in USA both joint account holders are all given cards when offered.  BPI requires separate applications.  Wow.
I read an article just recently that it is the senior management that fosters innovation and flexibility.  So I hope you can encourage the proper people to again to think about these serious customer and stockholder concerns.  Thanks for this review and hope the proper people are motivated in the vision smile.
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Thanks for the opportunity for customers like myself that use many Alaya company products to explore some ideas that will better  serve the customer and make the products offered even more attractive.
I am pleased with my banking experience with BPI and know with their professionalism, BPI will continue to be the top bank in the Philippines.  I only hope they will stop and listen sometimes to the customers as well so everyone’s needs can be met in a personalized pleasing manner.
BPI customer
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Using feedback to satisfy customers
Companies that provide good customer service make it a point to consult their customers. They do this by having discussions with and seeking advice and information from their customers, and taking the views of their customers into consideration when making decisions about changing service practices.   Why don’t the Ayala companies including BPI and Globe send out surveys to customers or have survey forms in the offices for anyone to comment and then have senior management read rather than just some call center agent?
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/aug/11/yehey/business/20090811bus13.html
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Footnote 1:  EXAMPLE CDR King Philippines uses Yahoo chat programs to solve customer concerns immediately and shows whose even on line to serve you:http://www.cdrking.com.ph/ (check right column at bottom)
Put a skype button call button right on your BPI website for customers and investors to call immediately   Get free skype numbers and then hook them into your pbx for auto call roll over and recorded messages for wait time http://www.skype.com/intl/en-gb/share/buttons/ for call center action or BPI switchboard and call back if necessary through skype.
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It’s dead simple and anything you can do to cut the costs of international and domestic calls for your prospects is likely to encourage them to call you.  UPDATE: the very next day, I got a call with a lead for a website from the US using Skype. Bingo! after installing wow.
Superferry uses Skype as one of its ways to communicate with them  Superferry has a skype number and instant chat online
April 2009 online reports Skype has  a total of 443.2 million registered users.
http://www.superferry.com.ph/infotxt_all.asp
For Superferry Skype users, chat with us, just search for SuperFerry.info and our Customer Relations Specialist will be glad to assist you.
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Footnote 2:  Previous emails to BPI with no new communication links:
On October 124, 2005 I wrote in an email BPI Senior Management:
“And even more surprising being a Ayala company, I find even here in Cebu, I have to pay long distance to call BPI in Manila since you have no local number in Cebu and the long distance toll free number is only accessible by  PLDT landline subscribers.  Why not Globelines (see my email of December 15 below)?  And Globelines even offers toll free calls from Globelines to Globelines nationwide so your Alaya Globelines would be supported and so would its customers like me!(http://www.globelines.com.ph/PromosArticle.php?id=5 )
And if you had a electronic switchboard with a Globeline number Globeline customers could call tollfree to BPI in Manila.  You could also incorporate the PLDT numbers in the switchboard as well and advertise both on your useful website.  I do not know why you dont advertise on your BPI website the Globeline numbers as well. (update 2009 now chat programs allow you to chat right online or use Skype which has 400 million users for BPI communication)
and another email in 2002 I wrote
A toll free number is supposed to work nationwide and not just on pldt.  Maybe the Alayas would be interested to know that BPI banking is  not interested in doing business with Globeline customers and serving their needs especially since they are also owned by the Ayalas.
Doesn’t  BPI and Globelines want to keep their own customers satisfied toll free too and should I switch to PLDT just to meet BPI’s lack of flexibility for Globeline customers nationwide?  I think not.
You need to immediate pass this on to your supervisor to seek ways of meeting Globelines/Islacom customers (part of the same Ayala business family) who are in the provinces as well as pampered PLDT telephone users.  Please provide me a toll free number for Globelines/Islacom customers to call your banking online center! Or just meet the internet age with Skype and chat on your website!
Just this morning bpi banking online wanted me to call them and gave me the pldt tollfree number.  Of course I can not call them unless I pay which I refuse to do as you provide tollfree numbers that do not work for Ayala’s Globelines customers since the BPI tollfree number is a PLDT number!  Please pass on to your supervisor to find a solution or I may pass this email to the Ayalas directly.  Please advise a tollfree number that I can use on Globelines here
in Cebu.  Thanks.

I am disturbed with your response.