It may even grant him credits beyond its means

If it is a refrain we hear often among the clients of banks, that is: "my Adviser, it changes all the time." This reality, each experience it is even more attention to the solicitations of maintenance and not to make an appointment with his customer officer that if specific need. "The client does not like to explain his life in a new Advisor, especially if he thinks that it will more be his interlocutor in eighteen months or two years as was the case for the predecessor", confirms Christophe Jankowski, Director in Orga Consultants and specialist in the banking sector.

There is little time, the client was a reason and the Bank continued its policy of turnover of advisers without too much concern for the consequences. "The career management was organized on the mobility of teams", recognizes Thierry Laborde, Director of the networks of proximity to the BNP. "In all networks, need to be promoted to move", supports Fabrice Asvazadourian, a partner at Mercer Oliver Wyman. Mobility is one of the strong arguments advanced by the banks to seduce their future recruits, whose numbers, particularly in sales of the network, are increasing (see chart).

Too privileged relations

But reconcile the desires of the customer Advisor evolution while respecting the need for a stable relationship with the client is often contradictory. Yet it is a requirement now in the heart of the priorities of retail banks because customers are more also captive in the past. "In most banks, it is new to take into account the client relationship quality and including the impact of the rotation of client advisors," said Christophe Jankowski. Client historical or newly acquired, it is likely to hit the nearby bank for request of more advantageous rates, a better loan, or simply more consideration and attention on the part of his Adviser.

The habit was taken in the 1990s, to practise a regular rotation advisors, if for two main reasons. First to ensure a regular advisors, since career progression of promotions and salary increases are based primarily on the position changes. Then for the sake of good relations between the Bank and the client, fear is to be preferred, too friendly relations could lead to some rigorous practices. "A bank can leave an Advisor on the same post for five or six years, the risk to attend a drift of the customer account management," says Marie-Frédérique Régnier, Associate Director at Cosmosbay-Vectis, management consulting. "Force of knowledge, the Advisor does questions more client." It may even grant him credits beyond its means. "It is often this type of files that land litigation", continues this expert in the banking sector. "Very close relationships with companies poses no problem." "However, with individuals, it is different," confirms Bérangère Grandjean, Director of human resources of the Banque Populaire group.

Extreme situations

This new reality, banks have multiplied changes the Councillors, leading in some cases to extreme situations: newly appointed a young Adviser the employment of women has continued to grow in the area to the point that 58 of hires in 2005 were women takes six months maternity leave, that it extends to raise her children. His replacement is named, after one year, in another agency while he remained in this position thirty-six months. The following part in the competition a few months after his arrival. One who resumes his post inherits from a demobilized customer portfolio. "Banks, in the recent past, only to realize not liabilities, the client had become reactive, and this kind of event would the push to change the setting without a State of soul," analysis another consultant.

To avoid this kind of situation, the banks begin to better structure the professional mobility of their advisors. First, most of the major networks set now for three years the duration of a position in contact with the customer. "A consultant is currently named for thirty-three months, and we tend towards a period of 40 months, or a perspective of three posts over ten years", explains Thierry Laborde. "To master its portfolio of clients, it takes three years," said Bérangère Grandjean.

Efforts of pedagogy

Same problem to the Credit Mutuel de Bretagne, with 250 agencies and 3.300 employees including 2.700 advisors: "To respond to customer requests, mutations have been laid down, on average, to four years", note Gérard Corre, responsible for human relations. And to recognize that "initially, the young people who often wanted to move, reluctant." Mobility is a motivating factor. But has been the efforts of pedagogy. They understood that it was better for them and for the client, and therefore for the Bank.

And when the change of the interlocutor becomes unavoidable, it is in the transmission of the files that can be the difference: it must "ensure the execution of an advisor to the other" as the formula Gérard Corre. To do this, each institution is refining its strategy, even if the overall means and methods overlap (see box). But according to industry experts, there are still many institutions that were not taken into account this problem. At the risk of waking up when they see a decline of their clientele. It then may be too late for the tide.