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Promises greater service delivery
By Ada Anioji
First Bank of Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of FBN Holdings Plc has achieved the Quality Management Systems certification from the International Standards Organisation (ISO). This certification also known as the ISO 9001:2015 is the latest version of ISO quality standards and FirstBank is the first in the financial services sector in Nigeria to attain this feat.
This recent accomplishment sprouts from the ISO 10002:2004 certification in Customer Satisfaction and Complaints Handling, also obtained by the Bank in October 2015. These certifications were achieved on the heels of the bank’s drive to improve its management controls and processes that deal with handling customers’ complaints more effectively and efficiently.
A statement from the bank and signed by Folake Ani-Mumuney, its Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications outlined that ‘the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems certification is proof of the Bank’s demonstrated ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer needs as well as applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.’
Receiving the award on behalf of the Bank, the MD/CEO of FirstBank, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, reiterated the Bank’s commitment to quality standards and the emphasis placed on ensuring customer satisfaction and prompt resolution of complaints that might arise with any of its services. “The Bank’s attainment of this feat reassures our customers of the Bank’s resilience and continuous improvements in line with global best practice” he stated. Also speaking at the event, Vladimir Cherny, a representative of the British Standards Institution, auditors of the certification, extolled FirstBank’s focus on continually improving services rendered to customers and imbibing global best practice in customer relationship management.
FirstBank has been the first institution to attain many international certifications such as the ISO 27001, the world’s highest accreditation for information protection and security from the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO); BS25999 certification, the highest accreditation in Business Continuity Management received from the British Standard Institute; the new international certification on business continuity management ISO22301; the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCIDSS); and the ISO10002 Certification on Complaints Management among others. The ISO 9001: 2015 Quality Management Systems Certification is indeed another welcome development in the litany of firsts.
First Bank of Nigeria Limited (FirstBank) is Nigeria’s premier and most valuable banking brand, and largest financial services institution by total assets and gross earnings. With more than 12 million customer accounts, FirstBank has over 750 branches providing a comprehensive range of retail and corporate financial services. The Bank has international presence through its subsidiaries, FBN Bank (UK) Limited in London and Paris, FBNBank in the Republic of Congo, Ghana, The Gambia, Guinea, Sierra-Leone and Senegal, as well as its Representative Offices in Johannesburg, Beijing and Abu Dhabi.
Since its establishment in 1894, FirstBank has consistently built relationships with customers focusing on the fundamentals of good corporate governance, strong liquidity, optimized risk management and leadership. Over the years, the Bank has led the financing of private investment in infrastructure development in the Nigerian economy by playing key roles in the Federal Government’s privatisation and commercialisation schemes. With its global reach, FirstBank provides prospective investors wishing to explore the vast business opportunities that are available in Nigeria, an internationally competitive world-class brand and a credible financial partner.
FirstBank has been named “Most Valuable Bank Brand in Nigeria” five times in a row – 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 – by the globally renowned “The Banker Magazine” of the Financial Times Group; and “Most Innovative Bank in Africa” in the EMEA Finance African Banking Awards 2014. Recently, for the fifth consecutive time, the Bank clinched the “Best Retail Bank in Nigeria” award by The Asian Banker.
‘Our brand purpose is to always put customers, partners and stakeholders at the heart of our business, even as we standardise customer experience and excellence in financial solutions across sub-Saharan Africa, in consonance with our brand vision “To be the partner of first choice in building your future,” the statement concluded.
Pix: Kemi Adeosun, Nigeria’s Finance Minister
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