The number of complaints I logged this month dipped and now I’m being coached about it from managers who are coached from district managers. I don’t understand this logic. I need more complaints? My theory is natural attrition wasn’t good enough so now we are just fishing for reasons to fire innocent employees
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How difficult is it to raise complaints?
When a customer says what a hot day it is - "air conditioning is poor"
When it's cold - "air conditioner is poor".
When custoner says "slow service today" - branch is understaffed and staff too harried.
When "fast service today" - branch is overstaffed with staff idling around.
Do we really need to teach you the WF way??
I read a lot of bs on here you sound legit very reasonable observations. I'm just a lowly engineer and first thing came to my mind is the raising of complaints is pure theater for the regulators. I don't know if many Wells folks understand how much the regulators are on Wells and how often it results in weird counterintuitive responses especially what I see in tech.
Okay I hate to be the one to break it to all of you but you’re right and wrong all at the same time. I have been in WF management for over 10 years. I can’t speak to IT, wholesale, etc because that is not my area. But what I can tell you is WF is simply not efficient. BOA, Chase, etc. do more business then WF with less people and fewer physical locations. It’s that simple. If it were your business you would try to find ways to cut costs, eliminate unprofitable lines, etc.... thus layoffs/terminations.
So for complaints and number... there’s two sides to that story. First off, our regulators basically said we haven’t changed or at last not enough. So they gave us a window to show them how much we changed. That’s why complaints are being pushed so hard. Because here’s the simple truth, at the end of that ‘window’ one of 3 things will happen. 1) we proved to the regulators we’ve changed and the asset cap gets lifted/etc. 2) we haven’t changed enough and the asset cap stays in place 3) we are worse than the regulators thought and not only does the asset cap stay in place but we are also forced to break up some of our business and sell off some. So 3 possible outcomes, only 1 of which is good. So yes complaints are important. A business that can’t grow (asset cap) WILL die.
Here’s the other part though. Our extremely inept and delusional senior leadership believe threats, corrective action, terminations and so on will fix the complaint ‘problem’. You’re kidding yourself if you don’t think Mary, Dave, and the lead region presidents are not push regional presidents to push DM’s, then down to branch mangers, and finally the rest of the team. Yes... we are being told ‘get them on board or get them out’. The problem our senior management just can’t grasp is there is no ‘right’ or ‘proper’ number of complaints. What they are in fear of is a complaint being missed that was made by a regulator and thus 1 of the 2 bad options of the 3 will happen. Not like 1,2, 3, 4... whatever missed complaints is going to make/ break the situation. But IF people are in fear of getting laid off or corrective action... they are more likely to file everything. Even that BS about ‘I don’t like the color of the walls’, ‘your logo is stupid’.
Long story short, WF does need to become more profitable. Cut costs... team members... have ‘just cause’ to term them (unemployment is cheaper than severance) and get in line with our peers cost/profitability wise.
When this is all done, 5-7 years from now, 1 in 3 branches will be closed. You don’t have an appointment? You will NOT be seen by a banker. A BIG branch will have 7-10 team members, that’s including the branch manager. We will FORCE our customers online. Well maybe force isn’t the right word... but they will use online or accept long waits for service or appointments.
So in none of this sounds like a good time to you I suggest you get out. I’m a senior manager. I’m getting out. Retail bank is dying. And what’s left will have a Starbucks in it, have very limited services, and long waits. It’s my advice you all start looking outside WF.
Interesting. That is an example of how/why we’re still an F’d up organization. I don’t see it changing. They make certain items competitive between employees and the managers and then it gets taken beyond the original intention. You can change out the people and the action being measured, however the mindset is still messed up. They always take everything way over the top. If Charlie and his new team aren't on top of changing the core culture that creates the systemic problems: what hopes do we have? They are obviously missing the most basic point.
Making up reasons to terminate (vs. layoff) solid employees is happening all over the company. I'm so sorry it's happening to you.
Company wants to avoid paying severance (and unemployment, if possible). Managers have had coaching sessions on how to successfully"paper" employees to fire them. I'm waiting to see if they'll start to incent managers more blatantly for doing so.
This company is awful. I am looking for a management role outside Wells Fargo.
Complaints are the new solutions only we are not getting bonuses fr it lol theyre putting pressure on the branches too about signing new customers to online banking.
Customer just came in and said it’s cold outside and they don’t like cold weather. Do I need to log this as a complaint? Asking for a friend
Because there is a capture rate target.... the MRA is near validation certain lob is getting nervous.
strange, the # 1 reason these top tech comanies are so successful is:
customer obsession: the customer is the #1 person in the organization.
Maybe banks dont thnk this way
The complaint world at WF is a hot mess. I been involved in complaints for about 10 years. Understanding that the idea was that the bank ignored complaints which might have uncover the account scandal sooner, we now place an obsessive focus on "complaints" as they now seem to be something we are Looking for and turning any slight issue into something that must be tracked
I completely agree, complaints are the new solutions. DMs, managers... their behaviors are no different than how it was when we had solutions. Back then at the end of the day:
How many solutions do you have?
Now: How many complaints were logged?
Lol thats what i told my mngr- how is logging more complaints a good thing, shouldnt it be less complaints the better? Coz that would mean the branch and everybody in there is doing the “customer first” and other extra to get good shops. I was logging 30-35 complaints per week and then when it dipped to 20 i got an email fr the dm lol comparing my weekly logs
COMPLAINTS ARE THE NEW CORE SOLUTIONS!!!!!! Mmmuuahahahhaa you’re gonna have to game the system to keep the good ole DM’s off your back that have nothing better to do!!