As customers, we all know how it feels to be treated like a number: pre-recorded helplines, delayed or indifferent responses to questions or concerns, a general absence of the human touch… it’s a familiar story. There are few things in life more frustrating than feeling as though you’re not being listened to, and yet it happens on a daily basis. This can lead to disaffection at best and, at worst, frustration and anger followed swiftly by expressing dissatisfaction on social media.

We were determined to be different when we launched RCI Bank, so we set out to build a savings experience that puts the customer back in the driver’s seat. From the moment they enquire about an account right the way through their savings journey with us, we wanted people to have access not only to simple and effective saving products but also to the highest levels of customer service as standard. I’m confident we’ve succeeded, but how have we done it? Well, let me explain by way of an analogy…

Just as a car showroom exists to demonstrate the very best products on offer, and to display them in as simple, helpful, and convenient a way as possible, our customer service exists to do exactly the same thing. People who trust us with their hard-earned savings deserve simple and well-designed tools that make the process of holding an account with us easy, and that’s what they get. In this way, our links to Renault and the automotive industry are more than just a big part of our heritage, they’re part of the ethos we hold as a business to this day.

The comparison doesn’t end there, either: innovation in the automotive industry has accelerated in recent years, and we’ve seen just as many exciting advances within digital banking. The latest technology has created a level of agility when creating products and services that has never before been possible, allowing us to listen to our customers and quickly turn the insight we gain from them into the delivery of customised and effective solutions.

While we may be an exclusively online bank, everything we do is designed to ensure customers feel fully supported by our UK-based support team: we’ve made it easier than ever to reach us via post, phone, e-mail, and even social media, and we make sure to respond not only quickly but also thoughtfully, paying attention to people’s individual needs when offering solutions.

Whatever the product or service, it can make such a difference to feel listened to and accounted for. With simple tools that respond intelligently to the needs of our customers, at RCI Bank our digital doors are open and we’re ready to talk.

Peter McEvoy is CFO of RCI Bank. Read more about the RCI Bank team here.

Peter McEvoy is