Emirates NBD social media activities create positive buzz on customers

Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the region, revealed an extraordinary growth in its social media network and the positive impact on customer relations. 

Emirates NBD launched its social media programme in August 2012, focusing on a Facebook page and appropriate use of a Twitter feed. Facebook was ranked as the most engaging of the bank’s social media platforms, with the bank becoming the first in the UAE to have built a following of more than 122,000 fans by August 2013. 

Aimed at instantly highlighting relevant news, Emirates NBD’s official Twitter account (@EmiratesNBD) keeps followers updated with bilingual tweets about all matters related to the bank. In addition, the bank has another Twitter account (@ENBDdeals) to showcase special offers and discounts, to enable customers to take advantage in real time, of the best deals, including food & beverage and travel deals being offered by the bank in coordination with its partners. Twitter followers have grown over a 100 times since the launch, to reach more than 16,000 followers. 

Emirates NBD also has an Instagram platform that it uses to host and promote photography competitions, including one the bank launched to depict the festive spirit in the UAE on the occasion of its 41^st National Day. The first of its kind competition received an overwhelming response, with more than 1,000 user-generated photograph entries. 

Most importantly, the bank’s social media network has created a significant positive impact on customer relations, to turn some of the most aggressive complainants into thankful customers. With more than 70 per cent of customer issues being resolved within a few hours, customers are increasingly turning to Emirates NBD’s Facebook and Twitter platforms to seek quick resolution of their problems. 

Vikram Krishna, Head of Group Marketing and Customer Experience, Emirates NBD, said: “Emirates NBD is committed to the path of technology and innovation and aims to utilize the power of social media to keep our customers engaged. We are aware that customers are increasingly managing their lives through social media and internet-enabled platforms, and have developed a significant suite of communication tools across a range of social networks.” 

“The speed of communications within these channels is a step change in our engagement with customers,” he added. “We have found that we can capture incredibly important information relating to our customer’s preferences and issues very quickly. After only six months, this has had a considerable impact on the way in which we engage with our customers.” 

The bank witnessed major spikes in the number of Facebook fans in November and December 2012 and February 2013, when it organised competitions and ran advertising campaigns. ‘Contests’ emerged as the most significant tool in customer engagement with data during March 2013 shows that this category attracted 25% of the total posts. ‘Deals’ were the second most popular category, having attracted 22% of the posts and served as a tool in lead generation to the bank’s products and services. 

Krishna continued, “As banking services increasingly migrate to internet-enabled devices such as smart phones and tablets, the banking industry must recognise that traditional routes to the customer will no longer be sufficient. Emirates NBD has recognised this trend and has launched an innovative customer service proposition based upon it. Our customers appreciate that we are developing with them. They appreciate that we understand how they run their lives.”