Just Dial “0″ (“Zero”)

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On the way to work this morning, a commercial on National Public Radio (NPR) caught my attention.  It was a commercial for Ally Bank and one phrase piqued my interest (I’m paraphrasing):

To open an account, call xxx-xxx-xxxx and to talk to a real person, push “0″ anytime.

In the radio commercial, they emphasized “real person”.  Interesting.

In a time when most companies are running away from their customers, Ally Bank is running toward them.  I think that’s admirable and smart business.

To be clear, I’m not recommending Ally Bank and I’m not a customer – I have actually never heard of them until this morning.  But they clearly recognize that, in today’s climate, the populous are not pro-big bank and there is a lot of distrust and low confidence in institutions that were supported by the very customers that they let down.  This is just a fact that companies need to recognize and create a sustainable strategy to overcome this perception.

It appears that Ally Bank is doing just that by differentiating themselves as “different” than the rest of the banks; “straightforward banking” is their mantra.  It’s a smart marketing move and one I think customers will appreciate.  In their words:

We talk straight. We don’t hide behind confusing jargon and fine print. We’ll always tell it to you straight. Because we believe it starts and ends with the customer.

We do right by you and your money. No minimum deposits or balances required. No hidden fees or penalties, either. We’re committed to finding the pain points in banking and fixing them so your money works harder every day.

We work to help you save more than other banks. We keep our overhead low, our rates competitive, and design every Ally product to maximize your savings.

Don’t run away from the customer – it’s not good business.  It’s also practical wisdom that most people and companies forget:

common sense, but not common practice.

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