It was one of those days when Lagos traffic was at a standstill, glancing at my wristwatch and seeing 3:35pm, I knew I had nil chances chance of making it to the bank before they closed at 4pm.
That was until I got the phone call that changed my life, it was from my business colleague. I felt bad when I told her I was running late as this was one of those important transactions that couldn’t wait till Monday. Yet there I was, stuck in traffic and would not be able to make the bank that Friday before the bank closed.
You couldn’t picture my surprise as she ignored my worries and uttered those words that changed my life for the foreseeable future. She said, “Aren’t you a GTBank customer? GTB closes at 5pm!”
“Seriously?!!” I was in a state of shock and disbelief and I knew she heard it in my tone as I asked “Since when? I don’t believe I didn’t know this prior to the fact. You sort of take for granted the fact that most banks in this clime are aching to kick you out of the banking hall at 4pm so they can move on with their lives till 8 am the next morning. It almost feels as if nobody cares.” I rambled.
“Look there’s no time to chat. GTB closes at 5pm. You have enough time to make it to the bank and get what we need to get this task completed. Thank God It’s Friday, eh?” She added as she cut me off, just before she hung up.
I had never been happier in my life. She had transferred the funds to my account, not knowing that I had earlier lost my Mastercard, and she was counting on me to make the reservations for the foreign investors at the swanky new hotel before she made it back from the airport with them in tow.
As I walked into the branch that day, I smiled at all the staff members I saw, from the doormen to the customer service clerks. Even the cleaners would have thought I was auditioning for a Close Up ad. GTBank saved the life of our company that day. We had guests flying in to seal a PPP deal with a State Government and now we had the funding to ensure their comfort.
Not many banks appreciate the importance of going the extra mile to serve their customers, but GTBank gets it. The next week when I transferred 40% more of our business to GTBank, even my account officer didn’t know why. He must have secretly thought it was the prayers he ushered up at the Holy Ghost Congress the previous weekend. However great institutions deserve our support and GTBank forever redefined how I see TGIF.
Thank God It’s Five.
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