Comments on: What Twitter is teaching FNB

By: #BrandMonday Founder

#BrandMonday Founder — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 07:27:48 +0000

We think it is wonderful that FNB embraces Twitter and interacts with its customers (and non-customers) via this additional channel.

Interestingly enough FNB has now won the #BrandPlus Award four times. And it is not all via tweets of its staff members – unlike some suggests. We congratulate you and encourage other companies to have the courage to listen to the tweets of South Africans.

By: RBJacobs

RBJacobs — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 07:25:48 +0000

Hi Chris,

You will be waking me, but its no problem at all.

Im here to help. So, Tweet away.

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:26:05 +0000

Does this mean I can randomly wake FNB employees in the early hours of the morning by mentioning #FNB on Twitter?

By: RB Jacobs

RB Jacobs — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:37:02 +0000

Hi Lance

You can get your number removed for further marketing messages, but this wont affect your Incontact service.

Please mail me your cell number and ill request that you be removed for future marketing.

email: rbjacobs@fnb.co.za

By: Lance

Lance — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:04:49 +0000

It’s all good and well that FNB is using Twitter, but it is failing on some other basics of electronic comms. Just had two marketing messages via SMS this morning with no way of opting out – the only reason I want my bank to have my cell number is for bank statements and in-contact messages. I suspect that you can’t get in-contact messages without all the other spam, too….

By: Gisele

Gisele — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 07:05:08 +0000

Gisele, congratulations on the huge strides taken by FNB lately. A fantastic start in a great communications strategy.

By: RB Jacobs

RB Jacobs — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:27:10 +0000

Hi Marius

With reference to our conversation. I have escalated your query to the relevant internal department. We will be in contact soon to resolve the matter.

We apologise for any inconvenience

Regards
RB (@rbjacobs)
email: rbjacobs@fnb.co.za

By: Marius

Marius — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:15:35 +0000

over the past 2 weeks I have battled with FNB regarding some issue … out of frustration I tweeted about it today an RB Jacobs picked it up within minutes which was good.

That being said, the problem is not solved yet so just monitoring Twitter and responding does not solve the problem. Overall service levels need to improve drastically if FNB wants to be taken seriously in their use of Twitter.

By: Simon

Simon — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:44:29 +0000

I am no more impressed with companies using Twitter than I am with them using telephones. Twitter is just a simple tool – it’s what you do with it that matters.

And no amount of PR posturing can disguise a rotten business. Using Twitter to defend a kak product is just lipstick on a pig.

That said, FNB has hit the nail on the head with its Twitter strategy, and part of that is putting a human face on it all. The fatal flaw, however, is that RB Jacobs doesn’t exist. To savvy users, FNB may as well be tweeting as ‘FNB’.

In fact, the RB Jacobs facade makes FNB more disingenuous in its tweeting than companies who have the balls to use their own corporate identity.

At the end of the day we’re talking about just another South African bank here. As a happy member of the cartel, FNB is just as guilty of criminally high charges and questionable banking practices as its friends over at Absa, Nedbank or Standard Bank. And no amount of tweeting will change that.

As an FNB customer I appreciate the attention to service that the bank is clearly displaying. I am impressed at the strategy and I’m not surprised that it’s working. Some good businesses have bad service – FNB is a bad business with good service.

By: chukaman

chukaman — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:35:54 +0000

ya, it’s awesome. i’m so happy with fnb & this is one of the reasons why. the other is their online branch “mybranch” which allows me to do pretty much everything i ever need to do online and without having to deal with any human. the only interaction i have with them is when i fetch new cards from the closest branch every few years. go fnb!!!!!!!