Bendigo Bank welcomes its one millionth customer

By simply walking through the doors of Bendigo Bank’s Willoughby North branch, Rebecca Browning and Darren Little went down in the Bank’s history as the company’s one millionth customer.

The decision to change financial providers to the local Bendigo Bank branch was a significant one for the couple, and a milestone for the Bendigo, which has quadrupled customer numbers since converting from a building society just 10 years ago.

“We are small business owners with two chiropractic practices and we decided to reassess our financial situation by conducting our own research on the various financial institutions in the market,” Darren said.

“The main reasons we switched to Bendigo Bank was their personable service and friendliness and the bank’s new e-banking token for Internet banking.

“Security is imperative in all areas of your life today and when you own and operate a business and have a young family, you need all the protection you can get,” Darren said.

Bendigo Bank Managing Director Rob Hunt welcomed Rebecca and Darren to the Bendigo way of banking and said the signing of the Bank’s one millionth customer was a significant milestone for the company.

“To hear customers like Darren and Rebecca commend our staff on their customer service and on our Internet token, a new service recently introduced, indicates to me that our strategy is working.

“Ours is a branded retail strategy – a considered, long-term strategy to attract customers through building a brand that provides high quality service and is relevant to them and their communities.

“If one achievement defines our past 10 years – beyond growth in branch and customer numbers, profit and share price – it is that the Bendigo Bank brand today is now well-known, highly respected and widely sought after across Australia.

“We have opened 160 Community Bank branches and attracted three-quarters of a million new customers. Strengthening our relationships with those customers and communities will continue to help us leverage the investment we have made in branches and other service channels”.

The signing of the Bank’s one millionth customer in Sydney is also significant given that Bendigo’s first Sydney-based branch only opened in Australia’s largest capital city just over three years ago.

“The Bendigo Bank of today is vastly different to the bank launched in 1995,” Mr Hunt said.

“At bank conversion, our branches and Agencies serviced 150 communities, all but one in Victoria. Today our company and community owned branches, agencies, joint ventures and alliances service 650 towns and suburbs throughout Australia.

“We are committed to continuing to expand our distribution network by opening a further 35 company and Community Bank branches in 2005/2006 and we will continue to develop initiatives aimed at increasing the prosperity of our customers and their communities,” Mr Hunt said.