The wisdom of life by Wang, Meng - Briefing on Industrial Bank Celebrity Forum

To build a high-end value-added service system, promote brand image and further strengthen customer relations management, on September 13th, IB private banking section held the IB Celebrity Forum Shanghai Exclusive, a themed event - the wisdom of life by Wang, Meng at Calligraphy and Painting Hall in Gaodong Ecological Garden in Waigaoqiao, in China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone. In his eighties, this former Ministry of Culture and Chinese contemporary writer Mr Wang, Meng attended the forum in person and delivered a wonderful speech. We invited more than 100 high-end clients with a keen interest in literature and contemporary culture to participate.

Morning, in the gentle rain, many of Mr Wang’s fans and eager private banking customers arrived early in front of IB Building on Jiangning Road. At 11:00, accompanied by their respective branch’s customer service manager, more than 80 private banking clients and 10 staff members stepped onto two buses heading for China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone. Before the forum begins, the customer service managers quickly got into their roles to fully utilize the meal time gap to communicate with clients closely, trying to strengthen the relationship and remind the clients just how personal is our personal banking service to improve customer adhesion and loyalty, and explore the possibilities of providing other potential services. They are generally seen sharing a few laughs in a harmonious atmosphere.

At 13:30, after the meal, customers arrived at Gaodong Ecological Garden in Waigaoqiao. The entire park is painted with a fresh coat of green after the rain, fresh air and vast grassland connected to a lake, gazebos and wooden buildings dotted in the middle, as if you entered a far away land of idyllic beauty. The moment customers got off the bus, they were attracted by this splendor and began to take pictures. Our customer service managers, then, assumed the positions of personal photographers, and helped them to record this beautiful moment.

At 14:30, the lecture: the wisdom of life By Wang, Meng began as scheduled. Mr Wang, over 80 years of age with his profound knowledge and legendary experiences was still sharp as a tack. The lecture was full of simple wisdom of life. Everyone was entranced by his insight and sincerity right away. He talked about hardship, learning, love, living and fate, and his advices on one should lead a tasteful life and pursue lifelong learning.

During the tea break, our private banking clients gathered around Mr Wang to try to get some personal time with him and took photos with him. In the second half of the lecture, we got a closer look at Mr Wang’s sense of humor and quick wit in the face to face interaction segment. He discussed the current issue on “flash marriage”, “happiness”, “internet topics” and “modern view of love and marriage” and shared his opinions on Zhuangzi’s philosophy (of achievement through inactions rather than actions). The hall was filled with continuous applause. It wasn’t until 17:00, our customers left Mr Wang with great reluctance, for their return journey on the bus.

On the way back, the customers still talked about the lecture and asked to join for more of similar activities in the future. In preparation of this event, we made precise invitations in advance via text messages, WeChat and phone calls, and provided services such as greeting party, escort service by their exclusive customer service manager, and other follow up services, which ensured better customers experiences and increase the sense of intimacy with the customers. The lecture also built bridge between the clients, in this case, two university professors and several corporate executives and sought friendship in one another. However, the great result also called for a time of reflections: in stead of dwell on the current success, how to best maintain customer loyalty and trust, and to device detailed follow up plans full filling their other servicing needs and expand our volume of business is what we should focus more of our effort on.