Standard Chartered, one of the leading international banks in the UAE, has added Hindu and Urdu to its phone banking interactive voice response (IVR) service - the first international bank in the Emirates' to do so.
Hindi and Urdu now join the round-the-clock service, which already operates in English and Arabic.
Recent figures from Standard Chartered show that in the UAE, the Bank receives approx. 500,000 phone banking calls a month of which 65% calls are for its automated banking service that are currently offered in Arabic and English.
Standard Chartered's phone banking representatives are trained to answer all banking questions, provide further information on the Bank's products and service offerings and ensure all customer queries are answered.
"Our phone banking team currently comprises of staff from 14 countries and we anticipate scaling this up even further, later this year to cater to the increased demand for both automated and personalised banking services," said Owen Belman, Head of Consumer Banking, Standard Chartered UAE.
"We believe in putting customers at the heart of our business, and by launching our automated banking services in Hindi and Urdu, we aim to make banking easier for a large number of our customer base."
Catering to the UAE's extensive Asian community, the Bank's Hindi/Urdu phone banking services can handle balance enquiries, transfer fund between accounts, make utility bill payments, TIN changes, chequebook and statement requests, make credit card payments as well as provide foreign currency exchange rate information.
Standard Chartered's automated and personalised phone banking services are available at 04 3138888 round-the-clock.
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About Standard Chartered - leading the way in Asia, Africa and the Middle East
Standard Chartered employs 38,000 people in 950 locations in more than 50 countries in the Asia Pacific Region, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the United Kingdom and the Americas. Standard Chartered is one of the world's most international banks, with employees representing 80 nationalities.
Standard Chartered PLC is listed on both the London Stock Exchange and the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong and is in the top 25 FTSE-100 companies, by market capitalisation.
It serves both Consumer and Wholesale Banking customers. Consumer Banking provides credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, deposit taking and wealth management services to individuals and small to medium sized enterprises. Wholesale Banking provides corporate and institutional clients with services in trade finance, cash management, lending, securities services, foreign exchange, debt capital markets and corporate finance.
Standard Chartered is well-established in growth markets and aims to be the right partner for its customers. The Bank combines deep local knowledge with global capability.
The Bank is trusted across its network for its standard of governance and corporate responsibility as well as its commitment to making a difference in the communities in which it operates.
For further information please contact:
Niall McLoughlin
Head of Corporate Affairs
Standard Chartered Bank
Tel: 971 0 4 5070467
Fax: 971 0 4 3594174
Mob: 971 0 50 6251329
E-mail : niall.mcloughlin@ae.standardchartered.com
© Press Release 2005
