Setting up a completely new service in the bank, rolling it out across the country, and spreading your enthusiasm to your colleagues. And even discovering your entrepreneurial side that bit later in life. That’s how Rob Haane, Mobile Banking Adviser, Retail Banking, works to improve himself and the world around him.
In 2017 Rob started the Mobile Banking at Home service in Zuid-Limburg. The service is meant for customers for whom visiting a bank office / is a complex business. A person working for the Everyday Banking department visits those people at home to offer them practical support with their finances. Rob: “This allows us to remain close to clients even in a rapidly changing digital world.” The aim is to make clients more self-reliant when it comes to their finances.
Was it exciting to set up something new?
“Yes! I discovered my inner entrepreneur,” says Rob, “I’d worked at Rabobank since 1986. And suddenly I got the opportunity to build a new service from scratch all on my own. Of course, I had help from colleagues working nearby and around the country, but I set most of it up myself. That shows how much the bank trusts you. I had a lot to do from the start: talking to colleagues, organizing mobile phones, and raising awareness through a local media campaign. I did all of that. Talk about exciting!”
Across the country, we have over 250 advisers who visit our clients at home to help them do their banking. It’s one of the tasks of colleagues working at Everyday Banking. Rob: “You have several roles when you work at Everyday Banking. You welcome customers coming into a physical bank location, you give advice over the phone, and you have time to visit people at home to provide the Mobile Banking at Home service.”
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View jobsHelping one in six people in the Netherlands
The Mobile Banking at Home service gave Rob the opportunity to experience how to launch a new service in the bank. “You’re given the freedom to organize things your own way. The words ‘can’t do’ are not in my vocabulary!” Let me give you an example: sometimes you need to print something for the customer at their home. So I looked for a way to provide our advisers with secure mobile printers to get the job done. It’s all about not giving up till you find a solution, which helps to continuously improve the service.”
It’s that autonomy, that network in the regions and his own entrepreneurial spirit that have got Rob where he is now and ensured that the Mobile Banking at Home service is still expanding. Rob: “One in six people in the Netherlands finds it hard to do online banking and deal with digitalization. As a bank we want to stay in contact with these people. That’s what motivated me to create the Mobile Bankservice. When you sit drinking tea with someone at their kitchen table, you realize you really are helping them. It’s such satisfying work and they can’t thank you enough. Our clients feel reassured because colleagues who know what they’re doing go out to help them in their trusted home environment.”
From the living room to the village square
Rob describes the benefits of the service: “It literally reduces the distance between the bank and its customers and brings back the human touch. I think that’s so important. This service ensures that everyone can use Rabobank’s banking services. Even those people who can’t get into an office or who are not very savvy when it comes to using the app or mobile banking.”
Then Rob went the extra mile and introduced a camper which takes a mobile office to the heart of villages and to service points. “I was picking up signs that people in my region thought our offices were too far away. So we set up a new project, bought a camper, and converted it to an office. Here too, we focus on what’s possible and how we can provide the best customer experience from the options available.” The Mobile Banking at Home camper branch is open every week in Gulpen (Limburg) and is a great success.
Personal Development
“It’s fantastic that I can help people become more financially self-reliant. The opportunities Rabobank offers me to do this are amazing. My most important mission is to expand the mobile advice service even further.”
Rob also puts his experience to work to support young co-workers in their development. “I’m not an official coach or mentor. I just help people on the work floor, when they need it. I’ve learned a lot at the bank and my experience lets me help other colleagues.”
Rob mentions two specific moments which really made the difference during his long career. When he worked for Rabobank as a mortgage adviser, he realized that the almost constant paperwork was making him miserable. “What I do best is talking to people and giving one-to-one advice. That’s what makes me tick.”
This realization made him determined to switch to a job at Everyday Banking, where he later encountered the Mobile Banking at Home service. “Looking back, it was my best decision ever. Of course, change can be scary, but you should be open to it. You’re never too old to take your career in a completely different direction. For me, each day that I can give people advice is a gift. My job feels like a handmade suit that’s a perfect fit.”
About Rob and Mobile Advice
Rob Haane’s careerpath: Office manager > Particulier Adviseur > Hypotheekadvies > medewerker Dagelijkse Bankzaken > Banking Adviser, Retail Banking
The Mobile Banking at Home service can be used by customers who have temporary or permanent mobility problems due to illness, an accident, old age, or a physical disability.
Rabobank employees working for our Everyday Banking Mobile service go out to give customers practical advice in the comfort of their own home. They can help to arrange a power of attorney, alter a payment services package, or teach customers how to manage their finances using the computer or Rabo App. Our advisers travel by sustainable transport to help customers at home, or at another location if that’s more convenient. This service does not include help to withdraw or deposit cash.