ANZ reports on Customer Charter progress

Document date:  Thu 28 Nov 2002
Published:  Thu 28 Nov 2002 16:16:11
Document No:  198484
Document part:  A
Market Flag:  N
Classification:  Other 

AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP       2002-11-28  ASX-SIGNAL-G

HOMEX - Melbourne                                                     

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ANZ today released its first Customer Charter Annual Report providing
a detailed review of its performance against the ten service promises
it made to customers.

Key points in the 2002 Customer Charter Annual Report include:

* A strong performance in fast account opening. Refunds of $31,000 in
fees to customers were made where ANZ exceeded promised times.

* The average branch waiting time was three minutes against the
five-minute target. In some instances however waiting times as high
as 21 minutes were identified.

* The target to answer calls to our 131314 customer service number
within one minute was achieved for 89% of calls.

* A strong performance in 24-hour, 7-day accessibility of electronic
channels including telephone, ATM, ETPOS and internet banking with
availability consistently above 99%. Internet banking availability
was marginally below the 99% target in two months.

* 100% of customer complaints were responded to within 48 hours and
70% of them resolved within 10 working days. 

ANZ Chief Executive Officer Mr John McFarlane said: "We know we still
have a lot to do to restore our customers' faith in us and we are
serious about making a difference."

"It is great to be getting things right for our customers most of the
time and this report indicates we have made a good start, but need to
do better.

"It is not acceptable for any customer to wait 21 minutes for branch
service. In the year ahead, we need to ensure our internal processes
deliver consistent service to customers and where necessary, commit
additional resources.

"It is only when we achieve consistently high levels of customer
service that we will be able to stand up and be truly proud of our
achievements," Mr McFarlane said.

ANZ launched its Customer Charter in October 2001 and expanded it in
May 2002. It is one of a series of customer and community initiatives
launched during the past 18 months, including the introduction of
new, lower cost transaction accounts, a basic banking account for
Centrelink recipients and fee-free transaction banking for customers
aged over 60.

A full copy of the ANZ Customer Charter Annual Report can be found at
www.anz.com. The report has been independently reviewed by accounting
firm KPMG.

For media enquiries, contact:
Paul Edwards
HEAD OF GROUP MEDIA RELATIONS
Tel: 03-9273 6955 or 0409-655 550
Email: edwardp12@anz.com