Armenia surpasses some European countries in terms of service level – international coach

YEREVAN, May 12. /ARKA/. The level of service in Armenia is much better than in some European countries, said international coach in customer service and leadership Aneta Korobkina, who has many years of experience in the personnel development industry and, including customer service.

"In terms of service level, Asia is still in first place, America is in second place, Europe, unfortunately, is in third place. But Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan have begun to work hard on service training, both in the tourism and hospitality industries, and in banking. And if this level is compared with the European one, I can say that you are great, because the level of service in Armenia for me personally and judging by my experience is much better than in some European countries," Korobkina said.

In response to a clarifying question from the ARKA news agency, whether she meant service in banking or in other areas, she said that even on the streets, in restaurants, in the hotel, the friendliness of the people is immediately noticeable.

"Armenia now occupies a very good place in service, in the tourism and banking industrieas," said Korobkina.

Primary Service Improvement Program

From May 5 to 8, Ameriabank hosted the second stage of the primary service improvement program under the guidance of invited coach Aneta Korobkina, a holder of a master's degree from the US Institute of Service Quality and a qualified trainer in the field of emotional intelligence.

The advanced training program was aimed at improving the professional skills of Ameriabank's customer support staff.

The second stage of the training was organized for the bank's back office employees and was aimed at integrating effective interaction between the front and back office services in order to ensure high quality service and continuous improvement. It consisted of two components: developing the skills of "internal" coaches and Service Mindset training for back office managers.

It is planned to train 27 "internal" coaches. About 60 back office managers took part in the Service Mindset course.

Cooperation with Ameriabank

The coach said that cooperation with Ameriabank began in 2019. "We have a full cycle of programs for developing a service mindset in the company. I am incredibly happy about this cooperation, because Ameriabank is one of the rare banks that do not just conduct trainings, but are involved in the full process of changing the service mindset in their bank. This affects the change of mindset not only in this bank, but also in the entire country," Korobkina said.

She called cooperation with Ameriabank a long-term partnership that she is proud of.

"I am proud because they are growing, investing in the development of customer service, their employees and their corporate mindset," Korobkina said.

She said that the service mindset development program is not just a customer-oriented training, but a change in the way of thinking from the very beginning to the end, so that people understand that they are not just Ameriabank employees, but the face of the company, part of a large, cool organization that is really trying to change the service not only in the bank, but also in Armenia.

She also appreciated the involvement of the participants and their interest in the training.

"A very high level. The guys are interested, involved in the processes, offer their ideas. In this part of the program, we work with the back office, employees who do not work directly with clients, but help those who do, to provide high-quality service," Korobkina said, expressing approval of the employees' interest in improving communications with the front office to provide a high level of service.

According to her, the program emphasizes that the task of banking service is not just to do the job, but to make the client happy and improve their day. She admitted that changing the way of thinking is not easy, and consistent work is required to achieve results.

The goal of the program

"Today we are implementing the second stage of the service improvement program for all back office colleagues. They conduct joint discussions on the problems of primary service, on how back office employees contribute to solving these problems. This process requires dynamics and involvement," said Anna Vardanyants, Head of the Human Resources Management Department of Ameriabank, answering a question from the ARKA agency.

According to her, the format of the training has changed significantly. Now very few lectures are organized, because the resources are widely available. Refresher training is carried out in the form of discussions, development of strategic plans. Teams together form programs of initiatives that will be implemented.

"The relevance of the program is consistent, since the expectations and needs of customers change. The higher the quality of services provided, the more the needs of customers change. At least every 2-3 years, you need to assess how your standards meet customer expectations, how the market is changing and implement improvement programs to exceed expectations," said Vardanyants.

She noted that today all customers want to feel important and receive special attention. Therefore, the first goal of this program is cooperation between front and back office teams to improve the quality of service.

An Inside Look

Head of the Ameriabank sales team, training participant, Gayane Barseghyan, who has been working at the bank for over 16 years, called the training very important.

"During constructive communication with colleagues, we talk about important details, thanks to which we can understand how to communicate with each other in order to implement changes. At the same time, the training allows us to understand that service is not just maintenance, but a change in the quality of life," Barseghyan said.

One of the most important characteristics of the training, she said, was the understanding that there are no minor details.

"We discuss the challenges that we face every day in the course of work. By improving our work, we can provide the best service to our clients, colleagues and partners," Barseghyan said.

The training, according to her, reminds employees that the emphasis is on the quality of service, which is customer-oriented.

She also answered a question from the ARKA news agency about how the program helps strengthen cooperation between the bank's teams.

"Representatives and managers of different teams on one platform have the opportunity to discuss all the problematic points that we encounter every day in the course of work. They create new values, more correctly building communications with colleagues and better understanding each other's "pain" points. After all, our common goal is one - a satisfied and happy client," Barseghyan said.

About Ameriabank

Ameriabank is a leading financial and technological institution in Armenia and plays an important role in the country's economy. As part of the digital transformation strategy, the Bank introduces and constantly improves unique products, services and innovative platforms for the market designed to meet the financial and non-financial needs of customers.

As a dynamically developing fintech environment, Ameriabank offers comprehensive solutions to improve the quality of life.

The bank is controlled by the Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia. -0-