Here at NOW FINANCE we pride ourselves on the personal level of service we provide to all our personal loan applicants, as many of whom as possible we hope will ultimately become NOW FINANCE customers. We’re often asked what we mean by personal service, so we thought we’d put this out there for you all to see. To help you understand why we’re so passionate about the service we provide and why we put you, the NOW FINANCE customer, at the heart of everything we do, we’ll begin with a look at customer service across the consumer finance industry as a whole.
What Does Customer Service Mean to You?
For many in our industry, providing customer service simply means having someone in a branch you can speak to, or having someone sitting in a call centre that can answer your questions when you pick up the phone. Providing an outlet where customers can go, or having workers around the world to ensure customers call 24/7, isn’t the same as providing an exceptional level of service.
Let us look at what your customer experience with one of the big banks may look like if you’re looking for a personal loan.
I Need a Loan
The first thing to note is that personal loans aren’t even a main product or focus of the big banks – they’re far more focused on mortgages and other products that make them a lot of money – so you’re up against that right from the start. It’s this factor that feeds into a lot of what follows, too.
Are You a Name or a Number?
When you apply for a personal loan at a big bank, they’re not really thinking about whether you’re a responsible borrower or should be accepted for a loan based on you.
All you are is a number. There’s nothing personal about this.
Your details get input into their system, the computer runs these against your credit file, and you get a yes or no decision. No consideration for your circumstances or why you need the loan, a decision based purely on numbers.
Applying or Speaking Face to Face
One of the great things about the internet is the way it breaks down barriers and helps us do things that may have otherwise been uncomfortable for us. Applying for a personal loan is one such thing, so why do some banks insist on you going into branch to apply in person?
Discussing your financial circumstances in person can be uncomfortable at the best of times. As professional as the vast majority of staff in the big banks are it is often impossible to escape the feeling of being judged, especially if your credit check comes back as “decline.”
Some banks also insist on offering in branch service if you’re accepted. Sometimes meeting and speaking with someone can be great, but what if you need to speak with someone after hours or you prefer the convenience of a call or an online live chat?
Who am I Speaking to?
When you are able to phone your bank with an enquiry about your application or loan account, you don’t speak to the same person each time you make contact. You go through to the bank’s switchboard, and whoever finishes their call first when you just happen to be next in the queue is who you’re going to speak to on that occasion.
Depending on the reason for your call, this could mean explaining a great deal of detail once again and perhaps talking through things that you find uncomfortable and stressful.
This Isn’t Customer Service at All
At NOW FINANCE we don’t believe this is anyway to deal with and treat people, whether you’re applying for a personal loan with us for the first time or you’re about to make your final payment on a seven-year loan.
At NOW FINANCE we are changing the way you get a personal loan, and are changing the way you are dealt with from application to final payment.
Here’s what we’re doing differently.
As part of our commitment to treating anyone who applies for a NOW FINANCE personal loan as an individual, we give you your interest rate before you apply for a loan, without a search being logged on your credit file. Once you have your interest rate, you can choose to proceed with your application or simply walk away and look elsewhere.
At NOW FINANCE we’re truly personal, which is why every single one of our applications is assessed in person, not just by a computer.
Yes, we’ll run a check on your credit file, but the final decision on whether to accept your personal loan application is made by one of our experts. We do this so we can make a decision based on who you are and your circumstances, not purely based on what your credit score is.
Because we’re not a bank, we don’t have branches on the high street, so you’ll never have to experience an uncomfortable face to face meeting or feel like you’re ever being judged. You can apply for your personal loan online and also contact us by telephone if you wish. We know you want a simple life and like things when they’re quick and convenient, and that’s exactly what our service delivers.
When you become a NOW FINANCE customer you will be assigned a personal loan specialist. They will then become the person you speak to every time you call us with a question or query regarding your personal loan. You’ll get to know them like a friend, so next time you call up you won’t have to explain your whole situation from the beginning, because your personal loan specialist will already know all about you.
Look at it like this. The world and the ways in which we consume products and interact with people and brands has changes. Yet, wouldn’t it be great if we had more of the old values around, like the grocer or baker in town who you’re on first name terms with, local businesses who wanted to know you beyond simply how much money you were going to spend with them today.
That’s what we’re doing at NOW FINANCE. You can enjoy all the benefits of the digital world combined with ‘old school’ customer service.
Do These Differences Make it Worth It?
Well, we certainly think so, and as we’ll see shortly a great deal of our customers agree.
As we mentioned earlier, we want to keep things as simple as possible.
- Our application process is short and hassle free
- We’ll usually keep you waiting no longer than 24 hours for a final loan decision
- Return the necessary paperwork quickly and we usually pay out the loan within a further 24 hours
- Loans can be paid direct to the business or businesses you’re going to spend the loan with
What NOW FINANCE Customers Say
Don’t just take our word for it, but look at how other Australian consumers rate us.
NetPromoter Score
NetPromoter Score is a customer service indicator based on the perspective that a business’s customers can be segmented into three types:
- “Promoter” customers are enthusiastic and loyal, who continually buy from the company and ‘promote’ the company to their friends and family.
- “Passive” customers are happy but can easily be tempted to leave by an attractive competitor deal. Passive customers may become promoters if you improve your product, service or customer experience.
- “Detractor” customers are unhappy, feel mistreated and their experience is going to reduce the amount of which they purchase from you.
“Customers who give you a rating of 9 or 10 on a scale of 0 to 10 are considered Promoters. Customers who give you as rating of 7 or 8 are passive customers and whilst they are not dissatisfied, they do not factor into the NPS score. Lastly, any customers who provide you a rating of 6 or lower are considered your detractors.”
As you can see from our NetPromoter Score of (As of December 2016), we fare strongly in our sector and in particular in comparison with the big banks.
TrustPilot
At 20st December 2016 we were rated a 5-star provider by TrustPilot. Our latest TrustPilot reviews can be viewed on our homepage, or you can view what all our customers who have reviewed us here have had to say about NOW FINANCE.
ProductReview.com
Our customers also reviewed NOW FINANCE at Productreview.com – where we have a score of 4.7 stars (Dec/2016).
Experience Personalised NOW FINANCE Service for Yourself
Like the sound of personalised customer service? You can apply for a NOW FINANCE personal loan by calling 1300 275 669 now, or click here to get your interest rate before applying.
At NOW FINANCE, we’ll treat you like a person and not just a number, and help you to get the things you want in life, now.
Disclaimer: This article contains general comments and recommendations only. This article has been prepared without taking account of your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before taking any action you should consider the appropriateness of the comments made in the article, having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs. If this article relates to the acquisition, or possible acquisition, of a particular credit product you should obtain and consider the relevant disclosure documents before applying for the product.
