BK Group CEO Dr. Diane Karusisi launching the one-stop-center digital booth which will improve customer service by providing more innovative and safe mediums for banking
Bank of Kigali (BK) Group on Monday this weeked joined the rest of the world to mark the ongoing International Customer Service Week by announcing that an additional 30% of the bank’s clients started using digital financial systems since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
Globally, International Customer Service Week will be celebrated from 5th to 9th October 2020 to celebrate the importance of customer service and of the people who serve and support customers daily.
As part of the celebrations and showing appreciation to customers, BK kicked off the customer care week with several members of its executive team putting aside their supervisory roles to serve and converse with clients about the lender’s services at the BK’s headquarters banking hall in Kigali city on Monday 5, October 2020.
“One way to celebrate customer service week is showing appreciation to our clients for having decided to work with BK in their daily economic development work. To make banking systems easy, we are encouraging clients to use the digital experience booth,”
“Many people know this product. They should use it to avoid wasting time waiting or lining up in the bank to withdraw or do other transactions,” Diane Karusisi, CEO of BK Group said.
“BK pledges to always work with clients, even during hardships as we did when the world was economically hit by COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is a great need for people to use digital systems. The figures indicate that about 30% of clients started using digital banking, this is in addition to about 25% who were already using the service before the COVID-19 outbreak,” Karusisi said.
She added that “The target is having all of our clients who access phones and internet use digital systems while banking and withdrawing, they should not be wasting their time to line up for services that can be done digitally.”
With over 50 years of banking sector services, BK is the largest bank in Rwanda with total assets of 27.5% market share as of 30th June 2019. BK has a distribution network comprising 68 branches, 96 automated teller machines (ATMs), 1,416 agent outlets and serves over 315,700 individuals and over 23,800 business entities.
The digital booth will improve customer experience.
Jean de Dieu Dusabumukiza, who has been banking with BK for more than a decade says Bank of Kigali services have evolved over the years to become more customer-centred.
“I started working with BK in 2006. Since then; the services I get are good, I get loans on time, bank, and withdraw my money anywhere. The bank has simplified my work as a businessman. The loan application never takes a long time, this is the most important thing every trader would prefer,” Dusabumukiza said.
“My late father was also a BK client, the bank has been trusted for many years. During the Covid-19 lockdown, I had a loan. But the bank gave us a grace period of three months until we resumed working and paid the loan,” he added.
Dusabumukiza added that “Every person would like to work with the bank that simplifies life economically by understanding the client’s complaints and addressing them right away,”
This year, BK registered an increase in net income and assets in the second and first half financials despite facing a negative impact of the New Coronavirus on its non-interest income, loan loss provisions, and increased non-performing loans.
The bank recorded a net Income of Rwf16.1 billion (US$ 17.0 million) an increase of 10.6% year-on-year (y-o-y) with a return on average total assets and equity reaching 2.9% and 14.2% respectively for the period ended June 30th, 2020.
BK’s total assets increased by 30.7% y-o-y to Rwf1,167.0 billion (US$ 1,231.2 million) as of June 30th, 2020, while its net loans increased by 21.5% y-o-y to Rwf790.2 billion (US$ 833.7 million) as of June 30th, 2020.
BK customers will no longer have to wait in lines with the new digital booth.
