Case Study
1,000km round trip to make banking accessible
September 2022
Managers at Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) were so impressed with a demonstration of our under-the-counter hearing loop that, just a few days later, they placed an order for one at each of their 54 branches.
Our partners in the region, Topland, took on the task of making the loops part of the ‘People of Determination’ counter. This is the term used locally for disabled people.
As well as offering a hearing loop, the desks are accessible to wheelchair users, have a ‘job aids’ pack containing writing aids for people with a range of disabilities and will soon feature tactile maps for those with visual impairments, along with tactile flooring.
Project Summary
From Northern Emirates to the Saudi Border
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank has a presence across all seven of the United Arab Emirates – Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah – a total of more than 83,000 square kilometres.
Branches in each area had different opening hours so Topland’s installation schedule had to be planned down to the minute.
1,000km round trip
“We have a strong commitment to both creating accessibility for customers with hearing loss and the needs of our clients,” said Topland CEO, Andy Faulkner. “So, if that’s what the job requires, that’s what we will do.”
Andy’s team had originally planned to carry out the installations out of hours. But having seen how quietly and efficiently the work could be done, branch staff were more than happy for them install the loops during opening hours.
“That reduced the installation time for all the branches considerably,” Andy said. “Staff were very supportive of what we were doing and were more than happy to give us the space we needed to work.”
Topland’s engineers were also given the freedom to place signage wherever they felt it would be most visible to customers.
“This has been a huge job made so much easier by a quality product that is straight-forward to install, and by the cooperation of the bank staff,” concluded Andy.
Project Highlights
54 bank branches in All 7 Emirates: Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al Qaiwain.
Counter loops for Customer Relationship desks and Tellers
Installation of counter hearing loop systems was done during working hours
Staff was trained and made aware about the hearing assistive technology and how to assist hard of hearing customers
Result
Empowering People of Determination
Topland was also working with Al Hilal bank and have installed a number of under- the -counter loops at their branches in Abu Dhabi, with the hope of more to follow.
As well as installing Contacta’s assistive listening systems, Topland provides a range of assistive products designed to improve accessibility and ensure inclusion.
We were winners in ‘The Best Implementation of Technology to enhance Customer Happiness’ category of the Customer Happiness Awards 2022 in Dubai and 2 awards in 2023 in Best Inclusive Customer Experience Initiative and Most Innovative Customer Happiness Experience categories.
“It was truly unexpected and a great honour to win the award,” said Andy. “Contacta’s products are very much part of our success and the reason why we’ve been able to make so many bank branches, and more than 140 retail outlets in the region, accessible to people with hearing loss.”
