Financial consumer protection

We have a Customer Assistance Program (CAP), which was established by the Client Experience Center (CXC) to institutionalize guidelines that will help ensure that feedback from existing and potential clients are handled appropriately, as required by the Bank’s consumer protection policies. The designated Customer Assistance Officers (CAOs) have undergone onsite training so that they are equipped to address customer issues and ensure compliance with the Bank’s Consumer Protection Program. There is a continuous information and education campaign on the Financial Consumer Protection (FCP) Program to help propagate awareness.  Since 2018, Client Experience Center (previously Customer Experience Management Office or CXMO), continuously conducted roll-outs and on-site training on FCP and alignment meetings with the CAOs in various business areas. 

CXC is now composed of four (4) units: Customer Care, Governance, Service Quality and FCP Customer and Insights. These 4 units work together to safeguard the interests and well-being of our customers as we address their financial needs. There are also related policies in place such as the BPI Financial Consumer Protection Program and Complaints Management and Reporting to properly equip our bank personnel in the handling of customer feedback. CXC is taking proactive steps to enhance customer satisfaction by streamlining the feedback process through Customer Feedback via QR. This transition from traditional feedback forms to QR codes demonstrates a commitment in simplifying the process, leading to a more accurate representation of customer sentiment and greater opportunities for improvement. Preventive measures and treatment plans from business units with top customer concerns are presented to senior management regularly for appropriate service improvements and customer satisfaction.

A more robust system to gather complaints data was acquired for the use of the enterprise which was launched on the last part of Q4 2021, this replaces the Customer Feedback Database which was created in 2017. This is a vital tool in identifying areas of concern and process improvements which is part of the FCP program.

As part of our Financial Consumer Protection Assistance Mechanism (FCPAM), different touch points or channels are in place where clients can file their feedback. These include our Contact Center via phone, e-mail, and social media accounts, Customer Care, branches, and the business units. Our employees are guided by the Employee Code of Business Conduct and Ethics which already includes consumer protection and internal bank policies in handling complaints and FCPAM where client feedback, specifically complaints, are classified with corresponding turn-around-time which are responded accordingly.

We maintain a vigilant approach in addressing feedback and concerns regarding our products and services. Throughout 2023, we diligently addressed and resolved issues, achieving a 98.60% compliance rate for complaint resolution, consistent with our previous performance of 98.63%. By year-end 2023, reported complaints had been effectively resolved, reflecting our dedication to swift and satisfactory resolutions. Our adherence to regulatory standards remains steadfast, with no confirmed incidents of non-compliance in 2023, underscoring our unwavering commitment to product and service excellence. We continuously uphold our enterprise-wide complaint reporting to BPI Management, ensuring transparency and accountability across our operations. Notably, our efforts have contributed to a decrease in complaint intensity by 3% from 2022 to 2023. This is calculated as every one complaint per 1,000 transactions.

Since the establishment of the Framework in 2017, we have maintained full compliance with product and service regulations, bolstering trust and confidence in our brand with a commitment to customer satisfaction.