OREANDA-NEWS. June 25, 2013. OJSC International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBA), serving about 967,759 customers, began on 15 June transfer of its branch network to the new standards of customer service by opening a new office of the Sabail branch in Baku, which is now located at the address: 191, Lev Tolstoy Street.

IBA deputy chairman of board Emil Mustafayev says that within the strategy aimed at improving the branch network, the IBA conducts its transformation on new standards and the logic of the business organization.

"The new office of the Sabail branch will be a model on which we intend to improve our branch network. This work was commenced in parallel in Baku and regions. Thus, construction of new branch offices operating on new business processes in Yevlakh, Guba, Khachmaz is ongoing as well. In Baku, a concept is being developed on each branch, including the branch to be opened in Amay shopping center in the immediate vicinity of the easy access to public services (ASAN-center). Today, parallel work is under way on about 4-5 branches. I think that for 2 years we should manage with transfer of the entire branch network to the new business processes," Mustafayev said.

The new format of customer service comes from a new understanding of banking services, as the de facto total banking.

"Our strategy on branch network improvement is based on the understanding that for work with corporate clients it is needed today to develop remote access to banking services (e-banking, etc). And service of the retail customers demands improvement of the branch network under the current requirements. According to our estimates, we are today in anticipation of the fact that almost the entire population of Azerbaijan in varying degrees, will have a demand for banking services. Accordingly, the modern bank branch should have increased opportunities on simultaneous customer service. Another requirement imposes the development of consumer lending - from bank branch it is demanded developed financial infrastructure for front and back office, to be able in a short time to process information, such as related to the creditworthiness of customers.

Today, the presence of the branch is not enough. The system of the branch itself, its business processes and infrastructure must be designed for a certain logic, according to which logistics customer service, their movements in the branch should be built. A new logic of business processes will be laid as the basis of the Sabail branch of the IBA. For this reason, today a momentous day for us, and we are proud that it coincided with the Day of National Salvation, for without the return of national leader Heydar Aliyev to the management of the country would have had neither our current success, nor the phenomenal development, which Azerbaijan is experiencing,” Mustafayev said.