Availability and quality of banking services

The VTB Group is increasing the number of sales offices in the countries and regions where it operates, expanding the network of ATMs and striving to improve the quality of its products and services for all clients, regardless of how distant their regions are or what the opportunities of clients are.

Development of a client service network

One of the key goals of client service is to increase the accessibility of financial services to people living in small or distant locations.

In 2019, the VTB Group operated 18,000 ATMs across Russia.

The year saw VTB Bank increase the number of ATMs equipped with a recycling feature, which helps extend the service life of the ATM. The Bank is Russia’s leader for this indicator.

Each year more and more clients prefer going digital, communicating through messengers and chats. In 2019, VTB Bank significantly expanded the range of remote services. Self-service kiosks are currently being equipped with contactless readers.

Furthermore, VTB is offering its clients an opportunity to open deposits and savings accounts via ATMs. A deposit can be opened in any self-service kiosk. A number of deposits offer higher profitability than similar products opened in the Bank’s branches. An ATM can also be used to add and withdraw cash in a savings account.

Increased accessibility for people with disabilities

The VTB Group strives to provide equal access to its services for all clients. New sales offices are equipped with infrastructure that ensures free access to premises for people with disabilities, people with restricted mobility, and the elderly.

Many VTB Bank sales offices are equipped with ramps and devices that facilitate access to the services for people with disabilities and the elderly.

The VTB Group employees are properly trained to service and assist people with disabilities in order to help them overcome the barriers preventing their access to services.

There are tactile information plates in Braille letters, tactile floor tiles, and tactile trail markers for the visually impaired. Starting from 2018, all purchased ATMs are equipped with Braille keyboards. Furthermore, the Bank’s website offers an opportunity to convert text to clear and distinct speech.

The VTB Group’s banks are also working towards facilitating interaction between people with disabilities and the Bank.

Development of remote banking

In 2019, the role of digitalisation and the introduction of new technologies reached the national level. At the level of the Russian government, several national projects were created to encourage the country’s economic growth and further development by introducing state-of-the-art technologies. VTB rose to the occasion and continued to develop its digital projects for all client categories

In 2019, VTB broke a new historical record – the number of active Bank clients reached 14 million individuals, over 60% of whom are active users of VTB Online.

Digital solutions for VTB’s retail clients

The opportunity to use VTB Bank’s services via remote channels is available not only to retail clients but also to companies and sole proprietors. A capability was implemented to enable remote signing of deposit and loan e-agreements with corporate clients along with signing the documents by enhanced qualified digital signature. Furthermore, services were launched commercially to submit applications for issuing guarantees electronically with the ability to make amendments.

Systems for remote interaction across Group companies, such as VTB Bank (Belarus), VTB Bank (Kazakhstan), VTB Bank (Armenia), VTB Bank (Georgia), Vozrozhdenie Bank, and Zapsibkombank , were improved and streamlined. A QR code–based payment service was created; a feature to submit short loan applications was made available; credit repayment services were enhanced; and display of current and obsolete bank products was added.

The VTB Group’s banks also recognise the need to improve client engagement. For instance, at VTB Bank (Belarus), client satisfaction reached 9.4 points out of 10 by early 2020, and the statistics from phone surveys show that clients tend to consider the polite attitude and professional competence of Bank employees to be the most important thing about being a Bank client.

In 2019, VTB Bank (Armenia) conducted a review of operations of the branches using the secret shopper method as part of the Service Quality Monitoring project. 74 service criteria were assessed in the course of this review.

The research led to a range of measures being taken to correct the detected deficiencies, and training sessions were given to enhance employee qualifications. Client satisfaction with contact centre employees grew from 86% to 95% within a year.

Better service and data privacy

VTB’s activities aim to improve operations and service quality for all client categories. The Group’s Development Strategy sees improved service quality and client loyalty across all segments as a top priority for the Group’s development. For this reason, the Group’s banks carry out annual research to assess client satisfaction with the service provided across branches.