"la Caixa", aware of the importance of strengthening the general public’s understanding of finances, seeks to contribute to its education in basic ideas of financial reality, by offering on-line information on its main financial products and on what people should take into consideration when they are thinking of contracting them.
Particulars > Corporate responsibility > Customers
Customers
Financial Inclusion
MicroBank
Video in spanish (3,42MB, Duration: 0:1:00)
One of the aims of the Entity is to favour access to the financial market of those people and groups who, because of their characteristics, remain at the margin of normal financing.
Microbank, the social bank of "la Caixa", was set up to respond to this desire to integrate. It has developed a range of products and services that are adapted to the needs of these marginalised sectors.
Whom is it aimed at?
- MicroBank is aimed, on the one hand, at people with limited economic resources and, on the other, at vulnerable groups.
What are its objectives?
- To increase productive activity and the creation of employment.
- To help improve family and personal welfare.
MicroBank operates through the branch network of ”la Caixa”.
It has received the recognition of the European Parliament and is supported by various European institutions, such as the European Investment Fund and the Development Bank of the Council of Europe, two examples of support that have contributed to Microbank’s position as Europe’s leading social bank.
Financial training
Focus on customers
Customers are the raison d’être of the Entity, which works to offer the best and fullest service and thus achieve their greatest satisfaction.
For the same reason:
The Entity has a wide range of products and services to cover the needs of the greatest possible number of persons and groups. It tries to ensure that care is always personal, with an offer that is distinct for each group, such as young people, the elderly, the self-employed or farmers, and their particular needs. It relies too on a Company Bank and Private Bank, specialising in these economic sectors
Access to the range of products and services
It supports sustainable activities with products like:
Socially responsible investment fund (in Spanish)
It is characterised by its closeness to customers, strengthened by a broad network of branches, present in every town in Spain of more than 20,000 inhabitants. It also has various operative and representative offices in other countries, designed basically for support for international trading operations.
Its services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, through several channels:
It promotes continuous innovation, by investing in research, development and innovation (R+D+i) and encouraging its employees to take part in designing products and in perfecting operating processes, by means of a mail-box to receive improvement suggestions. The forums where views can be exchanged and best practice shared are also very useful for this purpose.
It has a multichannel service for Customer Care, to give answers to all kinds of customer inquiries and improve the service on offer:
Security is, logically, customers’ main demand and therefore one of the Entity’s priorities. It works for continuous advance in protection of procedures and perfecting of the design of products such as CaixaProtect, which reinforces security in electronic transactions and operations by customers with their own cards.
As a complementary measure, it offers on its web site advice on security questions, which is further evidence of its commitment to service quality.
Customer Care Service
To achieve excellence in service is the main challenge of ”la Caixa” in the field of responsibility and a key element that has always formed part of its identity. All its actions and operations aim to respond to the needs of its customers, as well as to improve quality all the time.
For "la Caixa", service quality means meeting customers’ expectations, an objective that is aligned with the mission, vision and values of the organisation and that, at the same time, enables efficient and sustainable results to be achieved
One of the pathways employed to achieve these objectives is to do surveys to gather customers’ views. A number of tools are also put at their disposal so that they can communicate their expectations and, above all, be attended to.
To know and ponder customer's views:
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Periodically, both quantitative and qualitative opinion polls are taken to find out customers’ appraisal of products and services and their views on the questions they think most relevant. Thus, if necessary, improvements can be introduced.
To know how to listen and give replies:
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For this purpose, ”la Caixa” has a multi-channel and easily accessible Customer Care Service, which enables customers’ complaints, comments and opinions to be collected quickly and simply. This allows suitable replies to be given within a reasonable time-period and, if necessary, measures of improvement to be introduced.
The Customer Service Office is responsible for collecting and attending to these comments, complaints and claims from customers, who can transmit them through various pathways:
- Free phone line (900 32 32 32).
- System of letters to the CEO, available at all branch offices.
- E-mail (in Spanish).
Business ethics
The corporate values of ”la Caixa” are trust, social commitment and excellence in service and all members of its human team, employees, directors and managers, have the unavoidable obligation of basing their conduct on good faith, integrity and common sense
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The Code of Ethical Values and Principles of Action of the Entity includes the basic guidelines for the performance of its operations. These values, principles and rules have to be respected both in internal professional relationships within the Entity and in external ones with customers, suppliers and the general public in all areas where it is present.
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One of the duties that employees share is to preserve the confidentiality of the personal details of customers, suppliers and collaborators. For individuals, it is done in strict compliance with the Data Protection Act, an obligation included in a security protocol that must be complied with. In addition, the files that contain confidential data are entered by ”la Caixa” in the General Registry of Data Protection
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The employees of ”la Caixa” collaborate discreetly, but actively, in Prevention of Money Laundering and receive training courses on their responsibilities in the question.
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The marketing of the products of the Entity is based on a policy of responsible sales, which complies with the legal regulations such as the MiFID Act. An attitude that is reflected in its voluntary membership of AUTOCONTROL, the Association for Commercial Self-Regulation, in favour of good advertising practice.