Customer Service Communication Strategies of Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) in Building Customer Trust in Banking Products
Keywords: Communication Strategy, Customer Service, Customer Trust, Banking
Abstract
Customer trust has become an important aspect of the banking institution, especially in creating long-term relationship between banks and customers. In this research, customer service has a vital role in building perceptions of reliability and credibility of bank services. Previous research has generally addressed service quality, satisfaction, loyalty and interpersonal communication. However, studies explaining communication strategies for building customer trust remain limited. This study aims to describe the communication strategies used by customer service at BRI Unit Benda Raya Pasar Minggu in building customer trust toward banking products. This research used a descriptive qualitative approch, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with a CS officer, a supervisor, and two customers. In addition, complemented by supporting documents and literature. Communication accommodation theory is useds to analyzw thw research fundung. The validity of the data was examine through source and technique triangulation. The result of the study show that trust is formed through several communication approaches carried out by customer service personnel. First, communication delivered clearly, in detail, and adjusted to customer needs helps customers better understand banking products and encourages purchasing decisions. Second, nonverbal communication such as friendly attitudes, calm expressions, and supportive body language creates a sense of comfort and security during the service process. Third, interpersonal communication that is flexible and empathetic, including the use of small talk to explore customer needs and assistance during complaint handling, helps strengthen emotional closeness between customers and the bank. Overall, these communication strategies not only help customers understand banking services more easily, but also strengthen trust and maintain long-term relationships between customers and BRI. Overall, the communication strategy demonstrates that customer trust is shaped not only service quality but also by the Customer Service team’s ability to adaptively accommodate customers’ communication needs.
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