NatWest sends staff into SMEs

MORE than 300 NatWest relationship managers in the North West will spend two days a year working for their local SME customers to gain a better understanding of them.

NatWest has launched its Working With You programme for all of its relationship managers in England and Wales who look after businesses with a turnover of up to £25m. The programme also extends to senior directors and credit teams.  

Each participant will be tasked with examining how the business operates, assessing its goals and ambitions, plus any barriers or challenges it faces. One of the first participants in the scheme was Gemma Kirby, a NatWest Business Manager in Manchester.

She spent the day working Manchester-based public relations agency Refresh PR.   

She said: “Spending time with them made me realise that we don’t always understand the practical issues that can give the management team a sleepless night.

“We need to appreciate these challenges by thinking like a business first and a bank second.  By doing so we will be better placed to understand how we can improve the service we provide to our SME customers.”