Table of ContentsCONSULTATION AND COORDINATION1Type of power held by each particular position2Establishing contact and enlisting support from staff in the organisation3A REPORT ON CUSTOMER COMMUNICATION: A CASE OF ZANACO4PROPOSAL FOR IMPROVING SERVICE DELIVERY AT ZANACO7Introduction7Service delivery at Zanaco7Conclusion9Recommendations9References12APPENDIX13QUESTIONNAIRE13

14CONSULTATION AND COORDINATIONTraditionalistsThe Veteran Generation, born between 1925 and 1945, were brought up in a more Challenging time with life experiences that included WW II. The economic and political uncertainty that they experienced led them to be hard working, financially conservative, and cautious. It can be noted that traditionalists are team players, are usually fond of using indirect forms of communication and they are also loyal to the organisation among many characteristics. They also have the tendency of respecting the authority and would never want to be in conflict with the law; they are further dedicated and are willing to sacrifice anything for the love of their job.Duty before pleasure is the general perception that the traditionalists believe in and always make sure that they are obedient to the organisation, patriotic to their nation as well as ensuring that they respond well to directive from their supervisors or leadership. They also have the general belief that seniority and age are supposed to be correlated, while at the same time taking into consideration the fact that they adhere to the set rules, whether it is within their organisation or in the community at large.Baby boomersThe Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, were brought up in an abundant, healthy post-war economy, becoming an egocentric generation. They saw the world revolving around them. These ensure that they look at the big picture and ensure that all the systems are place. They bring about a fresh perspective and usually hold the top positions in each and every organisation. Furthermore, they do not respect the titles but they just simply respect one based on the level of knowledge that they have in their particular field.They also disapprove absolutes and structure, but simply maintain that they would side with whichever idea or structure-less for as long as it can yield the required results or even better. To add on, baby boomers are very optimistic, in that they always assume or expect the best in whichever project or investment that they decide to venture into. Baby boomers are very uncomfortable with conflict but would rather prefer to dialogue with the affected parties or let alone simply negotiate so as to reach a compromise. They are also very much into ensuring that they have achieved personal growth and are very sensitive to feedback especially on decisions that they had earlier made on any particular project.Generation XThe generation X, born between 1965 and 1980, was the first generation raised on to do lists and grew up with high rate of blended families. These always have a positive attitude in whatever choices that they make, they always wish for the best even when they know that the odds are against them both theoretically and practically. Generation X is usually characterized by individuals that are very impatient and do not want to wait for the final say from supervisors or those in higher authority but would rather venture into a project and then later seek for guidance. They are goal oriented, which is an important aspect of operating the organisation, this will then lead them into multi tasking so that they do as much work as possible to ensure that they are within their target range. Thinking globally is an aspect of generation X that has inspired most of these multimillion dollar organisations to flourish and expand into other countries throughout other parts of the world. They also make sure that they have flexible hours of work and have an informal work environment, knowing that formality only reduces the rate of growth or development due to the presence of bottlenecks and bureaucracy. They also have the tendency of questioning those in authority, especially when they feel that their rights are being infringed upon, or when they have the notion that management has made decisions that would not be to the best interest of the organisation. Finally, they would also like to believe that they are self reliant and want to do everything themselves, hence the organisation gives them a lot to do and the freedom to do those particular tasks

Type of power held by each particular position

Position Legitimate powerReward powerCoercive powerExpertise powerConsultative power

Clerk

Bank teller

Customer service representative

Back office manager

Bank manager

Legitimate PowerLegitimate power is power that comes from ones organizational role or position. For example, a boss can assign projects, a policeman can arrest a citizen, and a teacher assigns grades. Others comply with the requests these individuals make because they accept the legitimacy of the position, whether they like or agree with the request or not.Reward PowerReward power is the ability to grant a reward, such as an increase in pay, a perk, or an attractive job assignment. Reward power tends to accompany legitimate power and is highest when the reward is scarce. Anyone can wield reward power, however, in the form of public praise or giving someone something in exchange for their compliance.Coercive PowerIn contrast, coercive power is the ability to take something away or punish someone for noncompliance. Coercive power often works through fear, and it forces people to do something that ordinarily they would not choose to do. The most extreme example of coercion is government dictators who threaten physical harm for noncompliance.Expertise PowerExpertise power comes from knowledge and skill. Steve Jobs has expert power from his ability to know what customers wanteven before they can articulate it. Others who have expert power in an organization include long-time employees, such as a steelworker who knows the temperature combinations and length of time to get the best yields.

Establishing contact and enlisting support from staff in the organisationThe organisation can safely bridge the gap between generation X and these other two generations so as to have a uniform goal and accord in the organisation. All these can be achieved through web-based training, looking at the fact that we are in the computer age and the only way generation X can be able to adhere to ideas is only when they have online backing.Management should ensure that they allow generation X to ask questions and challenge the concepts that have been already set, while ensuring that they are constantly interacting with the baby boomers so that they can retain some for their ideas. The human resource department should always keep the training materials brief and easy to read, because generation X individuals are not fond of long reading materials as they tend to ignore them. Ensure access to simple, logically organized knowledge database while at the same time being sensitive to design and graphics. In conclusion, this group maintains short attention span, hence the need for brief and summarized methods of information dissemination to this particular generation of individuals or members of staff.A REPORT ON CUSTOMER COMMUNICATION: A CASE OF ZANACO

A. External communication environment of ZANACOThe external communication environment of ZANACO bank is so poor as there is no proper means of them getting to have suggestions from their esteemed customers on the level of customer satisfaction. Furthermore, this bank has no proper way of keeping track of the flow of income of its clientele especially that they have introduced the Xapit account, which can be assessed by anyone. This implies that they cannot get to really know the capabilities of their clientele because the Xapit account only requires an NRC photocopy and passport sized photographs to be successfully opened. Hence, they would not be able to access one such clients pay slips or any such document, as per required for any other bank account types.B. Services offered to its clientsThis bank has been offering different types of bank accounts for its clients, ranging from corporate to fixed deposit, to current of which we have SEBA, mobile banking, of which we have XAPIT. The bank also offers loans to esteemed customers and clientele, at a very reasonable interest rate, competitive at most.

C. How the organisation has created customer goodwillThrough the introduction of numerous bank branches throughout all the provinces in Zambia, ZANACO has been able to satisfy their clients in many ways. The introduction of ATM machines throughout parts of Zambia as well cannot pass without being noticed. ZANACO has been able to offer mobile banking to its customers, especially for those who are in the habit of sending or receiving money from their debtors or creditors on a frequent basis. They have also maintained to be one of the lowest in terms of ATM withdrawal charges, second only to Intermarket, which unlike ZANACO does not offer VISA atm card services. Finally, though some might take it for granted, but ZANACO has been around in Zambia for a while and there does not seem to be a sign of them being bankrupt any time soon, like what happened to Meridien bank, Capital bank and the likes.D. How it has maintained credibilityThe bank has been able to compete with renowned international banks like Barclays, FNB, and Standard chartered bank. Furthermore, they have been able to recruit and train local individuals hence wining the support of the local investors and client base. ZANACO has also set up partnerships with renowned retail outlets like Shoprite so as to be able to double their market base, because now people can purchase commodities without carrying money put can simply swipe with their atm cards at the till.E. Key areas of service delivery that customers are not satisfied withIn as much as ZANACO bank would like to have maintained its credibility, it has left a lot of its clientele disadvantaged in a number of service delivery points. The first factor is, that in its numerous bank branches there are usually a lot of long unending queues that are caused by the numerous accounts that they have been opening for clients. The Xapit account being the major culprit, after all, it is very simple for one to open up such an account, meaning any one and every one can open up one, thus congesting the bank queues. Withdrawal of money from this banks ATM machines is another hustle, one would rather withdraw from any other banks ATM machine, even when they have the ZANACO ATM card, as that of ZANACO is usually out of service. The mobile banking as well seems to have suffered a great deal because the network is usually down when one is trying to access this service. There have also been several incidents of a transaction being done but the money in question being deducted from the senders account, but somewhere along the way, it is never credited in the receivers account.

F. What management has done bout areas of dissatisfactionLooking at the high profit levels that the organisation has been experiencing of late, management usually feels as though there is nothing which is not satisfactory to the clients. Hence, this has prompted them to believe all aspects of the bank are favorable to the clients. Looking at the issue of there being inadequate ATM machines, management has ensured that they keep on increasing the number of atm machines per square miles, so that they reduce the congesting of the few atm machines that have been around for a while.

G. How organisation checks that its satisfaction levels meet that of customer expectationThe criteria used for counterchecking customer satisfaction are very much questionable because apparently, what is mostly done is that they measure customer satisfaction in terms of their performance for that particular period. Then again they also look at the number of accounts that have been opened during the course of that particular period, forgetting that most of these accounts remain vacant for a sizeable period of time.

H. Customer complaints policyEvery organisation pays particular attention to customer queries and complaints, ZANACO being one of them. Nevertheless, there does not seem to be much effort being put into ensuring that the department that has to deal with customer complaints is active and efficient enough to be able to acquire complaints and be able to deliver to management. There is still a lot that has to be done in terms of offering an alternative to customers airing their views about any particular flaw in the bank and its banking policies.PROPOSAL FOR IMPROVING SERVICE DELIVERY AT ZANACO

IntroductionWhile direct channel transactions have been growing steadily, branches still remain the most important channel for driving overall sales. Though banks have generally been successful in shifting day-to-day financial transactions from branch networks to low-cost direct channels such as online and mobile, they have had little success in cross-selling products and services through direct channels. The growth in the number of banks has on the one hand increased competition and on the other hand heightened the standards that need to be met in order to gain a competitive advantage. In addition, the competition between banks is a premise of customers ever growing expectations.Customers are now more informed and they expect their banks to meet their needs when, how and where they want. Otherwise, there is the risk that a bank looses market share in favor of its competitors. Considering the above mentioned issues, one major concern of Zambian banks should be customer retention. Long-term relationships between a bank and its customers, is proof of the financial institutions efforts to offer high quality services that satisfy customers demands. Moreover, customer retention is a necessary input for improving business performance. It is therefore necessary that banks concentrate their efforts towards improving the quality of their services and satisfying their customers needs.Service delivery at ZanacoService quality is undoubtedly an important input for customer satisfaction which in turn influences customers behavior in terms of loyalty (be it expressed in customers repurchase intentions, positive word of mouth or an increase in the number of performed banking operations), and thus enhance a banks image and performance. The current economic scenario gives banks an opportunity to identify channels that are most important to their customers, and provide a positive experience across them. Banks are shifting their customers from high-cost to lower-cost channels, thus reducing their total cost-to-serve. There is a growing trend to achieve a seamless multi-channel integration by banks who want to make their customer interactions channel-agnostic. This will help banks leverage their distribution networks by offering the right products to the right customer segment through a desired channel, resulting in overall cost savings and an enhanced customer experience. Banks also face highly saturated markets where product and price no longer remain the key differentiators, thus pushing up retention costs. Innovations around better and faster delivery of the right products to a customer will help banks provide a differentiated customer experience, thus supporting better customer retention.Technology advancements and changing client preferences (such as the demand for convenience and around-the-clock access to banking services) have driven a shift in customer demands and usage patterns of traditional banking channels such as branches. The shift has resulted in direct channels emerging as important media to reach a larger audience at a much lower cost. Global retail banks are investing and innovating to better align their distribution channel strategies with evolving customer needs and preferences. They are increasingly focused on achieving multi-channel integration to achieve seamless customer navigation across different channels. Though multi-channel interconnectivity is not new and banks have already made some progress in this direction, delivering a true seamless experience across channels will require banks to overcome some key challenges. Banks face challenges around their existing legacy applications, systems, and processes which often operate in silos, and the lack of staff training to function in a multi-channel environment.The growing influence and popularity of direct channels, supported by changing channel usage patterns, has resulted in need for a role transformation of traditional channels such as the branches. Though customers continue to see the branches as an important channel for carrying out financial transactions, they expect their role to gradually evolve to one which also focuses on providing more advisory and relationship-based services. The issues related to queue management and waiting times across traditional channels such as the branches and call centers are also resulting in greater use of direct channels such as online and mobile.Banking customers are increasingly expecting more convenience, accessibility, personalization, and reliability across the distribution channel network. Banks need to deliver these features by leveraging innovative technologies and solutions for a seamless and personalized experience. There is a clear demand for banks to invest in their channel networks to make them more customer-centric and user friendly, while in the process improving the channel efficiencies for better return on investment and increased profitability.ConclusionBanks now recognize the importance of achieving a seamless multi-channel integration and have been investing heavily to achieve this, but few have yet to realize their goal. The key challenges banks face today in achieving a true seamless integration are existing legacy applications and systems, bank processes operating in silos, and the lack of staff training to be able to function in a multichannel environment. To address these challenges, banks will have to develop distribution strategies that take into account customer segmentation and profiling for directing the right product to the right customer through the right channel. Though banks have made some progress in achieving multi-channel integration, banking customers globally are demanding the ability to fluidly switch back and forth across different channels for the same sales or service event.RecommendationsThe following measures should be taken by the bank so as to ensure that they are able to improve service delivery.Exceeding expectationBank branches must aim higher than the mere achievement of customer satisfaction. Satisfaction is a state in which customers expectations are met; it is the lowest denominator of service. On the other hand, delight happens when expectations are exceeded. With customers placing greater demands, and competitive conditions forcing banks to accede to them, customer expectation is a moving target, and one that banks must take adequate measures to empower their employees to constantly exceed.Showcasing product and servicesResearch shows that after poor service, product range is the biggest contributor to the companys performance declining. The right product offering and communication can therefore exert a positive impact on satisfaction. Today, most banks use electronic media to showcase their wares. They must ensure a similar effort within their branches, by means of attracting product displays, literature and demonstrations, so that staff can interest visiting customers in purchasing additional products. They could even ask branches to allocate some time during lean hours for product presentations.

Keeping delivery commitmentsSome banks stipulate stringent turnaround time for customer activities, many do not. Being under no pressure to maintain services standards, banks in the latter category often end up disappointing their customers and might even drive them to another bank that offers better services. They can set this right by establishing clear future possible products, making employees as well as customers aware of the same, and enforcing strict adherence to these standards within their branches.Responding to complaintsThe time that all was available was traditional banking, branch staff knew their customers well because they interacted so often with them. The emergence of unassisted channels has distanced customers from bank employees, and while know your customer guidelines help compliance, they do not do much for customer intimacy.Creating customer loyaltyCustomers who switch banks mainly do so because they are dissatisfied with service. At the same time, customers who are satisfied with their banks service stay loyal, even if they have to pay a little more for it. Over time, loyal customers turn into advocates, recommending the bank to others. Therefore, few things are more important than ensuring customers loyalty in todays competitive banking environment. While the only way to garner loyal customers is through service, banks can always show their appreciation by devising attractive programs that reward customers not only for the size of their bank account, but also for the length of the relationship, referrals provided, number of products held, and so on.Ensuring service reliabilityReliability is an integral part of service quality, when customers find that things are done right the first time, every time, they gain confidence in the bank and in the abilities of the staff. Adequate and repeated training of branch staff will make them more knowledgeable and empower them to handle most situations with ease.AmenitiesAdequate parking space, seating arrangement, token system and the availability of other amenities, such as drinking water are small but significant aspects of a comfortable branch banking experience. This may come as a surprise, but it is a fact that many customers switch banks because of inconvenient location or lack of facilities.

References1) Beckett-Camarata, E.J.Barker, R.T., (1998), Integrating Internal and External Customer Relationships Through Relationship Management: A Strategic Response to a Changing Global Environment, Journal of Business Research, 41, 71-81.2) Changing the Channel, (2010) A New Approach to Multichannel Strategy in the Financial Services Industry, Peppers and Rogers Group3) Efma and Microsoft (2010) Transforming Retail Banking to Reflect the New Economic Environment4) Peppard, J., 2000, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in Financial Services, European Management Journal, Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 312327,5) Wyman Oliver (2010) Multi-Channel Banking: Unravel Complexity to turn Ambitions into Reality.

APPENDIX

QUESTIONNAIREPlace a mark (X) in the appropriate box

1) Gender of respondent

i) Maleii) Female

2) How did you get to know about that particular account that you opened with Zanaco?

i) Through a friendii) Form a Zanaco brochureiii) From a Zanaco employeeiv) From one of the billboards

3) Are you satisfied with the services that Zanaco is offering you as a customer?

i) Yesii) No

4) Are you able to air your complaints to the employees at the bank?

i) Yesii) No

5) Are your complaints ever looked into by the bank?

i) Yesii) No

6) If yes, the how long does it take for those particular complaints to be dealt with?

i) Within a monthii) Within three monthsiii) Within six monthsiv) Within a year

7) What would be the best way for the company to help maintain their customer base and retain its clients?

i) Showcasing product and services ii) Ensuring service reliabilityiii) Creating customer loyaltyiv) Responding to complaints