As the digital wave sweeps through every corner of financial services and the vast majority of transactions can be completed at one's fingertips, the "digital divide" remains a real barrier for the 310 million elderly population — they cannot hear the menu clearly, cannot remember which buttons to press, cannot find the right entry points, and cannot read the fine print, making even simple online operations a source of great frustration. How can the fruits of fintech benefit every elderly customer? China Merchants Bank Co., Ltd. (CM BANK) (ASX: 600036) has answered with "audible, visible, and close at hand" companionship, allowing elderly customers to enjoy dignified and warm financial services in the digital age.
Audible: A One-Touch Direct Human Warmth Hotline
"In the past, when I called customer service, I could never remember which button to press after listening to the menu several times. Now when I call China Merchants Bank, the system prompts me to press one button and I'm directly connected to a person," said 72-year-old Mr. Li. He recently called to check his pension deposit and was connected to someone quickly after dialing. "It's much more convenient. I can do it myself without waiting for my children to come home and help." This is the intelligent elderly customer identification mechanism launched by China Merchants Bank's remote center — after customers dial 95555, the system automatically identifies elderly customer status and provides one-touch direct access to dedicated human service, solving the common problem of elderly customers "not hearing the menu clearly and not remembering which buttons to press." As of the end of September this year, the elderly-friendly dedicated line's manual connection rate reached 99.57%, with customer satisfaction at 99.94%. "Being able to reach someone" has become the most direct feeling for elderly customers. Building on dedicated human service, China Merchants Bank's remote center further focused on the high-frequency needs of elderly customers by setting up elderly-specific buttons on the phone end, prioritizing three core functions: account inquiry, credit card quick access, and manual consultation, compressing the general IVR hierarchy from 9 items to 4. 43% of elderly customer transactions now enjoy convenient processing, reducing single-service duration by approximately 14% compared to before optimization. Behind these figures are tens of thousands of moments of anxiety caught and panic soothed.
Visible: One-Screen Shared Remote Caring Guidance
Phone calls can solve the "speaking" problem, but when elderly customers face the mobile banking app's "can't find the entry point, can't see the text clearly, can't remember the steps," they often feel helpless. Nearly seventy-year-old Mr. Zhang knows this feeling well. He wanted to update his identification information through the China Merchants Bank App but could never find the business page or figure out the upload entry point, with multiple attempts ending in failure. After understanding the situation, China Merchants Bank's remote customer service, with Mr. Zhang's consent, proactively initiated a screen-sharing service invitation. Through the real-time synchronized operation interface, the remote customer service representative precisely identified Mr. Zhang's operational blockage and clearly guided him to find the entry point and complete the upload. In just 5 minutes, Mr. Zhang successfully completed the transaction. He delightedly gave a thumbs-up: "The steps were explained so clearly that even an old man like me can easily handle it. Both thoughtful and high-tech!" This is the screen-sharing voice connection service pioneered by China Merchants Bank in 2023, supporting elderly customers to connect to voice customer service with one touch for consultation and communication, and transmitting the customer's current phone screen to the service representative in real time. From initiating screen sharing to online guidance from the agent, it forms a complete service loop while protecting customer privacy. In addition to screen-sharing services, China Merchants Bank has also optimized the "consult human" entry layout on the App, allowing elderly customers to conveniently access human assistance. Meanwhile, addressing the pain point of elderly people's blurred vision, the bank has promoted large-font text service transformation on the App, covering approximately 63% of response scenarios for elderly customer text consultations, with an expected coverage of 95% within the year.
Close at Hand: A Multi-Party Linked Full-Process Service Loop
In March this year, an elderly person called China Merchants Bank's service hotline 95555 for help. Because she was solely caring for her paralyzed husband and urgently needed to process a transfer but could not leave home, China Merchants Bank immediately activated its linkage mechanism — confirming the business scope, verifying identification materials, accelerating the review process, and determining an on-site service time — with full-chain response. Ultimately, the customer's problem was successfully resolved. Afterward, the customer sent a special thank-you letter, emotionally writing: "China Merchants Bank is not a cold institution; it treats customers as family, giving concrete expression to the warmth of service." Such stories are not isolated. In June this year, 89-year-old Mr. Zhang sent a text consultation through the China Merchants Bank App. The elderly man had been paralyzed in bed for years with severely deteriorated hearing, and a previously reported account management fee issue had remained unresolved. In the dialog box, he painstakingly typed a line: "I am 89 years old, paralyzed in bed, and deaf. If you use the phone, I cannot hear at all." Facing this elderly man who could not communicate by phone, remote customer service representative Xiao Xu quickly activated the special customer service contingency plan, opening one-on-one dedicated text service, clarifying his demands word by word with patience and reassurance, and after understanding his needs, immediately linked with the local branch to arrange dedicated on-site service. Through multi-party coordination, the long-standing problem troubling the elderly man was satisfactorily resolved. The elderly man slowly typed in the dialog box: "Thank you! Thank you, China Merchants Bank!" When phones can be heard and screens can be seen, and when elderly customers cannot personally visit a branch due to mobility issues, China Merchants Bank has established a "remote + branch" linkage service mechanism, relying on close coordination between remote visual counters and physical branches, allowing caring service to effectively reach special customer groups.
With Standards: A Replicable Elderly-Friendly Service System
Scattered good service depends on individuals; sustained good service depends on mechanisms. Implementing elderly-friendly services cannot rely solely on isolated enthusiasm — it requires mature mechanisms for continuous support and stable implementation of service standards. It is understood that on the team side, China Merchants Bank has unified service standards for elderly-friendly specialists, with the first-contact resolution rate increasing from 93.96% to 96.10%. Additionally, focusing on high-frequency elderly-friendly service scenarios, China Merchants Bank has organized all staff to conduct scenario-based practical drills, formulated the "Four-Step Service Method Full-Staff Implementation Promotion Plan," transforming elderly-friendly service requirements of "empathetic listening, plain expression, safety commitment, and full patience" into conscious actions for all staff, and established a "learn-practice-certify" assessment system to build a professional and warm elderly-friendly service team. On the process side, for complaint tickets from elderly customers, China Merchants Bank's system prioritizes processing and responds efficiently, promptly consulting business departments during handling, jointly developing solutions, and diversifying resolution of customer issues. Using mechanisms to guarantee service and professionalism to convey warmth, China Merchants Bank stated it will continue to improve its elderly-friendly service system, making good service not an accident but the norm.
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