Nedbank has been voted the number one bank in service in the Ask Afrika Orange Index for 2008 for the second consecutive year.

The Ask Afrika Orange Index is the leading service benchmark in South Africa. It surveys more than 16 000 respondents across 12 sectors involving no fewer than 65 companies.

Nedbank’s Chief Executive Tom Boardman says this result is indicative of the recognition of an improved service offering by the bank to its customers.

“Our customers and stakeholders have spoken through their participation in the survey. We are proud to have not only achieved recognition as leaders in our sector but also improved our overall ranking. We have moved up 13 positions in our ranking from 32nd position last year to the 19th position this year” commented Boardman.

He says the overarching “Ask Once” promise of ensuring that the customer will only “Ask Once” and the Nedbank person handling his or her query will promptly get it resolved is what sets Nedbank apart from the rest.

“To support our service promise we have further unpacked its relevance to the day to day lives of our customers.

We have created a five tier benchmark against which our customers judge their “Ask Once” experience. Through our main “Ask Once” service promise we promise to our customers that:

We will actively manage our branch queues - if you feel that you have waited too long please contact the branch manager;

They will always have the option to speak to a ’real’ person at our contact centres;

Our contact centres will call customers back if their request is not resolved the first time;

At the customer’s request, we will always SMS them for high-value credit card transactions; and

Their credit cards will be delivered to their branch of choice, on time, every time,” he says.

He elaborates that in the few instances where Nedbank has fallen short of living up to its “Ask Once” promise, Nedbank has committed itself to donating R50 to the customer’s choice of Nedbank approved charities. Since the launch of Ask Once about 18 months ago, the overall amount of money donated to charity is R76 000. “This is a clear indication that our staff is committed to “Making Things Happen” for our customers and being a leader in service excellence in our sector as well as in the broader South African business landscape” Boardman concludes.