Bank of Scotland business customers now referred to call centre

Small business clients have criticised the Bank of Scotland for changes in the way it handles corporate customers. Business Relationship Managers were moved out of branches, leaving small businesses to use a call centre.

The FSB spoke of outrage at small businesses being “abandoned” with call centres being bad for customers and bank alike, but the bank claimed that business managers still travelled to meet clients.

Small businesses now have to deal with staff at a call centre in Edinburgh.

Andy Willox, Scottish policy convener of the FSB, criticised the call centre approach He said: "This means that partners, who must take decisions jointly, now need to conduct finance negotiations huddled around a speakerphone.

"Even returning a call is now a touch-tone labyrinth of security questions."

He added: "I find it astonishing that the Bank of Scotland says this is what their small business customers want.

"Our members say the exact opposite. And despite the bank's protestations to the contrary, our members are receiving a drop in service level, without any drop in their bank charges."

A spokesman at the bank said: “We introduced the new system for small and medium-sized enterprises after extensive market research. Since it was introduced we have increased both the amount of lending and the number of SME customers in Scotland.

"In a small number of locations we found that most of the contact between the bank and its customers was sporadic and over the telephone."

The spokesman also said that it was no longer commercially viable to keep all small business meetings as face-to-face with business manager.