Case study: Bank Spółdzielczy — an integrated hotline (PBX + IVR + recording) and reporting for head office and 10 branches

Bank Spółdzielczy is actively looking for ways to improve customer service. After a successful first hotline, the bank asked Debesis to design and roll out integrated phone service covering head office and 10 branches.

Until then every branch had its own phone number, so traffic was scattered and customers often reached the wrong place. There were no voice announcements or IVR, so callers heard no greeting or navigation. The result: about 60% of callers hung up before the call was answered.

In the project we rolled out:

• a phone system (PBX) for the whole organisation,
• IVR with voice announcements and call queues,
• call recording for quality and compliance,
• reporting on key KPIs (abandonment, SLA, missed calls, workload).

Result: organised call traffic, significantly fewer abandoned calls, better routing to the right departments and full quality control through recordings and reports.

Bank Spółdzielczy provides financial services to the local community, combining traditional cooperative values with a modern approach to technology.

The bank’s multi-branch structure (Head office + 10 branches in different locations) and its customers’ varied needs require an efficient, predictable and accessible phone channel — for retail and business customers alike.

Before Debesis the bank faced several critical problems:

• Scattered numbers – every branch had its own number. Customers had to “guess” where to call, and calls were scattered across the organisation.
• No greeting or IVR – callers heard no announcements or guidance, which increased hang-ups: about 60% of calls ended before being answered.
• No recordings or reports – calls could not be replayed, agent quality could not be analysed and there was no reliable data for staffing.

As a result the bank had limited control over service quality, and customers often faced long waits, an unclear contact path and repeated attempts to get through.

The main goals were defined together with the customer:

• Centralise telephony for head office and 10 branches in one system – one logic, consistent standards and full visibility of traffic.
• Introduce IVR with announcements and call recording – for better service, regulatory compliance and training material.
• Provide KPI reporting, including SLA, abandonment, missed calls, average wait and talk time, workload per branch/queue/hour.

A further goal was a simpler customer experience: one hotline number, clear messages and a predictable path to the right adviser.

Debesis delivered a complete telephony solution:

• Phone system (PBX) – one numbering plan, shared rules and clear call routing for head office and all branches.
• IVR and voice announcements – a greeting and simple navigation to key areas, e.g. retail banking, business banking, loans, cards, technical hotline.
• Call recording – a full call trail for quality control, complaints and staff coaching.
• Reporting – dashboards and regular reports covering abandonment, missed calls, service level in X seconds, wait and talk times, workload per branch/queue/hour.

1. Customer call → IVR greeting → choice of department

The customer calls the bank’s one hotline number . They hear a greeting and a short IVR menu (e.g. “1 – personal customers, 2 – business, 3 – loans…”). After choosing, the call goes to the right queue (head office or branch), often with the expected waiting time.

2. High traffic → queuing and announcements

At peak times calls are queued with suitable announcements and – depending on configuration – callers can leave a call-back request. Missed contacts are handled from a call-back list.

3. Quality and compliance

The hotline manager has access to call recordings and a full set of metrics, so they can analyse service quality, improve scripts, plan staffing and respond based on data rather than intuition.

• Significantly fewer abandoned calls – thanks to the greeting and IVR, the situation where about 60% of calls ended before being answered is gone.
• Better routing – customers reach the right department faster, with fewer unnecessary transfers and less frustration.
• Transparent quality control – call recordings and KPI reports support systematic training and better staffing.
• Consistent service standard – one platform, the same rules and consistent quality at head office and 10 branches.

IVR instantly organises call traffic and shortens the customer’s path to the right adviser – especially important at busy times (campaigns, changes to terms, product promotions).

Call recordings make quality measurable: they allow analysis of specific situations, fact-based complaint resolution and a library of training material for new staff.

Reports support data-based decisions on staffing, hours and scripts: you can see when traffic peaks, which queues are overloaded and what the real waiting times are.

The hotline thus becomes not just a service channel for the bank but also a source of insight into customers and process quality.