Renovations to Credit Suisse branch

Credit Suisse customers in Zug were in for a surprise on Thursday when they got to the branch. Four portable offices had been set up in front of the main bank which is currently undergoing renovation work. Following in the footsteps of the Migros and Coop banks, CS has decided to invest in making their premises more inviting to current and potential customers.

 

Some ten employees will be serving account holders from these portable offices until the building work is finished in approximately June of this year. "There will be no change to the service which we will provide for the customers," stresses Christophe Dousse, Head of the Zug and Schwyz region for CS. What will change will be the inside of the branch. The entry hall is designed to be more welcoming, says Dousse, with the exterior sandstone wall replaced with a glass facade. The ATMs which are currently outside the bank will be housed in a special room inside but still accessible 24 hours a day. "It's a question of making things more modern and brighter," Dousse continues.

 

Zug is one of 150 Credit Suisse branches which are being redesigned in accordance with the bank's new customer care concept. The days of waiting for a window and a bank clerk to become available are a thing of the past. In the new branch, customers will be greeted by a bank employee in the reception area who will then take them through to see their responsible adviser.

 

The renovation work will cost CS a total of CHF 6.4 million, some two years after over CHF 2 million was spent on renovating the meeting rooms. The 110 employees are also scheduled to have improved offices by 2013, at a further cost of CHF 5 - 6 million, despite the current financial crisis which is particularly affecting the banking sector. "This project was never called into question. By doing this, we are contributing to the regional economy," explains Dousse. "Some 80 percent of the work has been awarded to Zug firms."