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"A Founding Member of
the
Young Community Builders Program" |
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| Opening of Revolutionary Style of
Banking Facility Ushers In A New Era Of Customer Service |
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“One Team – One Goal - Customer Service” is the sincere
commitment of the group of five professionals who will be responsible for
serving customers at the recently completed Scotiabank branch in Val
Caron. They are shown above in the photo and are, from the left: Melanie
Thompson, Customer Support Representative; Lisa Welsh, Personal Banking
Officer; Sharon Lavallee, Personal Banking Officer; Sue Carriere, Customer
Relations Representative; and Shawn Carlson, Financial Advisor. Together
they offer local residents a complete package of the financial services
available through Scotiabank, one of
North
America
’s
premier financial institutions and
Canada
’s
most international bank serving about 10 million customers in some 50
countries worldwide.
The Grand Opening of Scotiabank’s Val Caron Branch has signalled
a new beginning, not only for one of the most respected financial
institutions in the country, but also for the community of
Valley
East
.
Guy Labine, Chair of the Greater Sudbury Development Committee
summed it up best, “When a bank decides to open up a new facility, you
know things are going well.”
Mayor John Rodriguez, on the left, stated during his welcome
speech, “I know that
Valley
East
has arrived now that Scotiabank has arrived.”
Ward 5 Councillor, Ron Dupuis was happy to see opening day arrive.
“Scotiabank is already saving me money in gas now that I don’t have to
travel to the Azilda Branch to do my banking.”
In addressing the crowd of several dozen guests on hand for the
Grand Opening, Steve Irwin, Community Manager for Scotiabank, who is shown
below when the ribbon was cut, stated, “The opening of the Val Caron
branch marks the eighth branch opened in the Greater Sudbury area by
Scotiabank and a further investment into
Sudbury
of close to $1,000,000. The opening of the branch brings the number of
employees in the Scotiabank group in
Sudbury
to more than 180.”
Irwin explained that the Val Caron branch represents a new concept
for Banking in
Ontario.
“This is the first branch without tellers, but with a qualified sales
force to assist all customers with the investment and borrowing options
they may wish to pursue. Our Automated Banking Machines, including our
drive thru machine, enables customers to do what they could have done at a
teller, such as being paying bills, transferring funds, withdrawing money,
depositing money, etc.”
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| John Roberts, District Manager of Ontario North is shown
above preparing to cut the ribbon to officially mark the opening of the
Scotiabank Val Caron Branch. The group included, from the left: Steve
Irwin, Community Manager for
Scotiabank, Roberts, Christopher
Hodgson, Executive Vice-President and Head of Domestic Personal Banking
for
Canada,
Shawn Carlson, Financial Advisor, and Caterina Crosbie, Manager Customer
Service. |
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Christopher
Hodgson, Executive Vice-President and Head of Domestic Personal Banking
for
Canada
was on hand to express his best wishes and to present a special donation
of $5000 to the Evolutionary Band of Confederation Secondary School.
Hodgson’s personal attendance at the Grand Opening and his presentation
to Evolutionary were symbolic of the pride Scotiabank takes in its
involvement in the community and its care for the community, regardless of
its size.
Mike Mirka, Principal of Confederation Secondary School accepted the
cheque on behalf of the band which was away on a performance tour in
Southern Ontario the day of the opening. Mirka thanked Scotiabank for its
support, indicating that he money would be put to good use the showcase
the talents of this remarkable group of musicians and performers.
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The
Scotiabank Val Caron branch will feature convenient extended hours during
the week and will be open on Saturdays for appointments and/or drop-in
consultation and service. Tuesday and Wednesday the branch will be open
from
11
a.m.
to
6
p.m.
;
Thursday and Friday from
11
a.m.
to
7
p.m.
,
and on Saturdays from
9:30
a.m.
to
3:30
p.m.
You can drop in during any of those hours and speak to Sue Carriere who
will help you make arrangements to see the member of the “team” who
can best serve your particular needs.
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| Community Manager Steve Irwin Is
Proud of The Professional Image and Reputation for Customer Service
Greater Sudbury Area Scotiabank Branches Have Become Known For |
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| Steve Irwin is extremely proud of the reputation that
Scotiabank has in the Greater Sudbury Area. As the person who oversees the
entire operations of the eight local branches, his professional leadership
style is one that has served the community well since he was appointed
Community Manager in 2001.
Born and raised in Toronto, Steve moved to London at the age of 16 and
after completing one year of university joined Scotiabank in 1974.
"Back in those days you could get into your career without a
university degree, so when the opportunity came up for me to enter the
banking business I decided to make my move. I was only 20 years old, but I
had a passion for this type of work and felt that I was ready."
Steve is quick to point out that his career has been a steady stream of
ongoing education and training to the point where he have far more than
the equivalent of a university degree, "In this business you must
continue to educate yourself and maintain your certification requirements
in order to keep up with all of the changes. I was fortunate to be able to
begin my career at such a young age prior to obtaining my university
degree, but I have always encouraged young people to get the best
education they can and to keep learning once you graduate. Life is a
never-ending learning process."
For the next ten years, Steve held a variety of positions in Southern
Ontario locations such as Milton, St. Catherines, London and Exeter before
taking on his first appointment as a Branch Manager. Subsequently he moved
to Barrie as the manager of a large bank in that city and in 2001 was
given the responsibility of taking care of the entire operation in Sudbury
as Community Manager. |
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| CUSTOMER SERVICE |
| Irwin urges parents to begin saving for their children's
post-secondary education as soon as possible. The cost of education is not
going to go down and anything parents can do to help defray some of those
costs will be appreciated by their children when they are ready to enter
college or university. The government currently provides an incentive of
20% so now is the time to take advantage of this growth potential.
When speaking to young people, Steve tells them that it is important
for each person to get the type of account that is just right for them. He
also encourages people to be responsible with their money, especially when
it comes to the use of debit as a method of purchase. By using debit
infrequently one can avoid service charges which add up over time.
A big advantage with Scotiabank is that as you move from place to place
during your lifetime you take your account number with you. This is a
convenience that customers have appreciated.
For more on all of the services available at your Scotiabank Branch go
to the link: www.scotiabank.com |
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| FUTURE CAREER PROSPECTS |
| "The banking industry has changed so much in recent
years," explained Irwin. "This has become a "Relationship
Building" career and as technology continues to change the way we do
things on a day to day basis, it will be even more important to build
relationships with customers."
Irwin continued, "The traditional type of sales positions that
once existed are being replaced with people who are skilled at making
people feel comfortable and who know how to listen to customers in order
to find out their needs. There are so many options available today that
everyone can find financial services that will meet their own unique
situation. It is up to the people working in the banking industry to be
prepared to provide this personalized service and to gain the confidence
of their customers.
"If you are thinking of a career in banking, you MUST love the
whole world of finance," he stated. "When you pick up the
newspaper you should automatically turn to the business section. You
should enjoy working with numbers and you must be able to handle a
tremendous amount of information that is going to be coming at you from
all directions. This is called "work" for a reason. It is not
"play". Next to physical health, one's financial health tends to
have the greatest impact on a person's quality of life, so if you are
going to provide financial advice to a customer you better know what you
are doing." |
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| ADVICE FOR STUDENTS |
There are some obvious requirements that must be met for
people who are interested in a career in banking. Those can be found on
numerous web sites. However, Steve Irwin offered some advice of his own to
young people that if followed will prepare them for a very rewarding
career.
- "Communication is extremely important in the banking industry.
You must become an expert in both written and oral communication so
make sure that you pay particular attention to the development of
those skills," he commented.
- "Start eliminating the slang and profanity from all of your
communication, including your emails," Steve advised. "You
must demonstrate a high degree of professionalism in everything you
do, even in your leisure and recreational activities. You cannot turn
a switch and change your character when you are meeting with
customers. If you are known among your friends and in the community as
a person who acts in a very unprofessional manner, that is how you
will be perceived in your work. And in this business your customers
must have confidence in you. If they see that you have a "liaise-faire"
attitude off the job, why should they expect you to be different on
the job?"
- "Before you get into this career, find someone who is already
in the banking business and ask them to explain what it is really like
to work in this field. You must know a friend of the family or a
relative who is in banking. Ask them to tell you the "least liked
part of the job" and listen to them. You don't want any surprises
once you get into this business."
- "We do not have dress-down Fridays at Scotiabank," Steve
pointed out. "People think you work the way you dress. In our
business our customers expect the same level of service regardless of
what day they come in. There is no way they are going to have
confidence in their financial advisor if he or she is dressed in an
old pair of jeans and a sweat shirt. So if you are interested in this
type of career, begin paying attention to your appearance and make
sure that you portray the type of personality that would instill
confidence among people you meet."
- "Start paying attention to the first impression you make on new
people you meet. What they say about first impressions is true and
nowhere is it more important to your career than in banking,"
Steve explained. Whether you are meeting a prospective customer, or
even if you are coming in for a job interview, the impression you
leave during that first encounter will last forever. So from now on,
every time you know you will be meeting a new person, or every time
you go for a job interview, do whatever homework you can to find out
about the person or company. Show that you care about them and they
will care about you. Asking questions shows that you are
interested."
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| FINAL THOUGHTS |
| "It is a very exciting time in banking industry,"
commented Steve. "Technology has been developed so that many of the
mundane activities are taken care of automatically, but this is still a
"people business" and the need for fact to face interaction
between professionals and customers has never been greater. Banking is a
complex business and people always need advice and guidance that will meet
their needs. There are so many options available today that a professional
consultant must be extremely skilled at asking the right questions and
listening to the answers in order to come up with a financial package that
is a perfect fit for all of our customers. There is no
"one-size-fits-all" in the banking business."
Steve encourages all young people who aspire to a financial career to
follow their dreams and work hard to prepare themselves for a very
rewarding and exciting life. |
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