Report presenting non-financial information of the BNP Paribas Bank Polska S.A. Capital Group for the year 2022 21
Transparency and dialogue with Customers
We systematically simplify the language used to communicate with our
Customers. Since 2019, we have gradually been adjusting our documents,
letters, communications and promotional materials in accordance with the
plain language standards.
In 2022, we continued our cooperation with an expert – a linguist and an
experienced plain language trainer. As part of the cooperation, we regularly
simplify communications and teach our employees about the rules of plain
Polish.
We use plain language in communication with all Customer segments: from
individual Customers, through micro-enterprises, to the corporate segment.
In 2022, we conducted advanced, multi-stage training for 15 plain language
consultants at the Bank, which ended with an exam. Thus, in the last two years,
65 employees of the Bank have become plain language consultants. We
systematically update and supplement our consultants' knowledge during
monthly workshops and lectures conducted by an expert.
In 2022, we also launched training on the basic principles of plain language for
all employees of the Bank on the e-learning platform. By the end of December,
42 people took part.
On the intranet, we provide employees with training materials that explain the
rules for writing various forms of messages, e.g. text messages or e-mails. We
update and expand the database of these documents on an ongoing basis.
We simplify legal texts – contracts and regulations for highest volume
products, i.e. loans and credits, as well as formal documents related to
investment products for both individual Customers and enterprises.
Examples of content we simplified in 2022 include:
Regulations of FX Electronic Access Channels, Regulations of Dual Currency
Deposits and other documents – certificates, powers of attorney, etc. for the
Financial Markets Division,
after-sales forms for mortgage loans,
subscription terms for structured deposits,
Cash Loan Agreement concluded in remote channels.
Accessibility
We want to create an ecosystem of solutions that provide each of our
Customers equal access to banking and the highest comfort and simplicity of
use. We develop offline and online channels, improve procedures and facilitate
access to banking for our Customers. We operate in accordance with the 2022-
2025 GObeyond strategy, which states that accessibility is one of our key
commitments in the POSITIVE pillar. We place particular emphasis on
facilitating the use of banking services by people from groups at risk of social
exclusion. The disabled and elderly will find products and services tailored to
their needs both in-person and online. We regularly analyse all access
channels to ensure functionality and user-friendliness following the best Web
Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0).
From a formal perspective, issues of accessibility at our Bank are regulated in
the "Principles of providing bank documents in a form accessible to special-
needs Customers”. As a Bank, we also meet the requirements of the Act on
ensuring accessibility to people with special needs.
How we increased availability in 2022:
we trained more employees on how to serve Customers with disabilities,
more Customer centres received the "Barrier-free facility" certificates,
we increased the number of ATMs accessible to persons with disabilities,
we installed further induction loops for people with hearing impairment,
we increased the availability of the website and the GOmobile and GOonline
applications,
we made efforts to adapt our offer and services to the needs of the elderly.
Accessibility for people with special needs
The assistance of a Polish Sign Language interpreter is available in each Clients
centre. Induction loops, i.e. hearing aid systems, operate in 195 Clients centre,
enabling the hearing-impaired to receive clear sound through a telecoil
(present in almost every hearing aid). Customers can also order visual
recordings of document content in Polish Sign Language. Each Clients’ centres
is equipped with a magnifying glass and a frame that facilitates signing for
people with visual disabilities. We also provide contract templates in the form
of audio recordings, enlarged printouts and translations into Braille.
At the end of 2022, 103 of our Customer centres possessed the "Barrier-free
facility" certificates issued by the Integration Foundation. It is the best result
among Polish banks. The certificate confirms that a building is equipped with
amenities, e.g. for people with mobility, sight and hearing disabilities, as well
as for the elderly and those caring for small children. In practice, this means
that our Customers can freely move around the Bank's branches and use the
implemented amenities.
Our strategic goal is that at least 50% of our Clients’ centres be eligible for the
“Barrier-free facility” certificate by 2025.
All our Clients’’ centres have also received the OK Senior certificate awarded by
the National Institute of Silver Economy. We were the first and remain the only
Polish bank to receive them. The certificate attests that we offer senior-friendly
solutions and services for the elderly that are safe, accessible, understandable
and reliable.
In 2022, the Foundation of the National Institute of Silver Economy provided
senior-support organisations with free OK SENIOR Passports for the 3rd time.
The booklet contains key information for seniors, which can be used at the
doctor's, in the pharmacy, and in everyday life. Our Bank was one of the
partners of the initiative.
How we ensure our banking offers accessibility to the deaf and hard of hearing:
online support of sign language interpreters,
online form to book visits in sign language,
Polish Sign Language translator available on the hotline,
visual recordings of document content in Polish Sign Language,
induction loops in branches.