In an effort to raise the overall quality and service skills of its tellers throughout the bank and enhance service quality and efficiency in its branches, CCB has recently conducted a bank-wide competition in teller services.  This activity has attracted 152 contestants from 38 branches to compete in teller skills such as business knowledge, banknote counting, calculator usage, etc.

Counter service is a “window” through which a bank deals directly with the public and is a practical demonstration of the “customer focussed” service concept as well as a lively reflection of a bank’s competitiveness.  At the beginning of this year, CCB has launched a teller skill competition under the theme of “Operation Learning, Skill Training, Service Competing, Risk Preventing”.  The objective is to conscientiously implement the spirits of the 17th CPC National Congress and to raise the service skills and capabilities of its staff in order to train up a workforce sound in ideology, impregnable in integrity, practised in operation and strong in skills which can provide customers with higher quality services.  In addition to enhancing the operation skills of its tellers, this activity should be able to set the stage for creating an ethos of striving for the best and devoting in providing services.  The whole activity spans almost one year and is divided into three stages: training, acceptance check and on-site competition.  The training covers the four areas of basic knowledge in counter services, counter service management system, counter service common sense and counter operations.  Participation of CCB tellers is 100% and each of them has been trained for more than 10 hours.  After the training, there are significant increases in the operating quality, service skills and team spirits of the tellers.  These have a positive role in effectively dealing this year with the explosive growth in demand for financial services, in alleviating the queuing problem at the branches and in facilitating the rapid development of CCB’s business.  Moreover, there has been an increase in customer satisfaction.

The present on-site competition is the last leg of the whole teller skill competition.  All 152 contestants are outstanding tellers who have survived many levels of selection.  During the contest, once could not help but be amazed by the banknote counting skill Fan Qiuju of Hebei Branch exhibited when she counted out 1,600 banknotes in just three minute with almost imperceptible movements of her fingers.  The superior skills of the contestants held all onlookers in awe and exhibited the exceptional quality, skills and mental attitudes of CCB tellers.  At the end, Liaoning Branch and Shandong Branches won the first two places in the team heats; Shanghai Branch won the first prize in the teams while both Shandong Branch and Henan Branch were awarded the second prize; eight branches including Hebei Branch and Ningxia Branch were awarded the Excellent Organisation Award; Li Yue of Liaoning Branch was the champion for the Individual All-round award; in addition to Li Yue, Tang Xiaojie of Hunan Branch, Fan Qiuju of Hebei Branch and Gan Lu of Beijing Branch were all winners of respective single item contests.

According to a person-in-charge, ever since its shareholding restructuring and public listing, CCB has adopted customer service level and risk management capability as key standards for verifying the success of its reformation as a state-owned commercial bank.  It therefore establishes the “customer focussed” service concept; quickens the pace of reformation of its risk management system, redoubles efforts in driving for strategic business restructuring; implements branch transformation and process reengineering; and unceasingly raises the overall quality and operating skills of its staff through a variety of on-the-job drills and professional trainings.  To date, transformation has been carried out in about 1.500 branches, while the waiting time for 90% of customers are limited to within 10 minutes and there is substantial increases in service efficiency and capability in the branches.  The present skill competition is as much a competition as a bank-wide training of all tellers; as much operation drilling as a lively manifestation of how CCB brings into effect the spirits of the 17th CPC National Congress, practises the scientific viewpoint of development, reinforces the “customer focussed” service concept, calls for its staff to emphasis capabilities, strengthen techniques and make use of their superior skills to better serve the public.