EXIM BANK LAUNCHES VIRTUAL BRANCH TRAINING TO ENHANCE STAFF PRODUCTIVITY

Exim Bank Tanzania's Group Head of Operations, Eugen Massawe (second left), cuts a ribbon to inaugurate the launch of the bank's virtual branch training in Dar es Salaam yesterday. Right is Senior Training and Development Manager, Priti Punatar at Exim Academy and left is Mr. Beatus Temba, a trainer at the Academy.

EXIM Bank Tanzania has launched a special branch stimulation training for its staff in a move aimed at enhancing efficiency in delivery of services.

New members of staff are scheduled to get an average of 56 hours of training, while others would have a minimum of 160 hours of ongoing classroom exposure.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony at the bank's training centre 'Exim Academy' in Dar es Salaam, Exim Tanzania Training and Development Senior Manager, Mrs Priti Punatar said the training entails stimulation of branch activities in a safe environment.

She said the training has been designed to develop problem- solving skills without the risks that financial institutions tend to encounter in the 'real' banking world.

"We have today launched a special virtual branch training which will equip our branch banking officers with skills in transactional banking and compliance on regulatory policies.

"Our staff will be trained on different roles in a branch which will cement their understanding of operations and build on their knowledge in the banking business.

"We envisage that this new approach will go a long way to support our operational efficiency and unwavering focus on customer satisfaction," she said.

"This training will enhance staff efficiency and productivity, thereby improving customer service delivery," said Mr Eugene Massawe, Group Head of Operations in the Bank.

He reiterated that the virtual branch training will employ practical, proven methods using industry best practices and state-of-the-art facilities, as it also aims at smoothening and streamlining processes at the bank.

"We have introduced this course with our goal being not only to boost customer satisfaction and providing best support to all our customers, but also to enhance consistency and reduce banking errors in our day-to-day operations.

"Through this training, our staff will also be able to assess and manage risks associated with transactional banking, meet regulatory compliance requirements, develop prompt tellers and help staff to make the most of cross-selling opportunities, hence enhancing the bank's customer experience," Mr Massawe added.

He also said that the training is an enabler towards achieving the bank's organisational goal of developing the bank's staff with superior banking and the best service delivery skills.

The Exim Academy is an ISO 9001:2008 Certified learning centre for Exim Bank staff which delivers a combination of hard skills (Core Banking and procedures) and soft skills (management and leadership and service), which positively impact on the client relationship and build value in the customer support deliverables.