We are committed to ensuring that all our customers have access to our
products and services. This begins with providing barrier-free access at our
branches across the country. Today, 90% of our Canadian branches provide level
or ramped entries to accommodate customers with disabilities. Many of our branches
also offer wheelchair-height seating arrangements at service counters. As a
result of a major upgrade of our ABM network across our 977 branches and off-site
locations across Canada, our new ABM platform now offers improved accessibility.
The ABMs’ height has been lowered and, where possible, they provide front
accessibility for wheelchair users.
To assist customers with low vision, our ABMs also have screens with contrasting
bright colours to make instructions
easier to read, pulsing light bars that direct users to the card slot and
envelope depository, and large-character keypads.
In addition, BMO Bank of Montreal offers fully personalized large-print cheques
with perforated guidelines as well as
statements in braille.
Through BMO’s Employee Affinity group, Waves, for our deaf, deafened
and hard of hearing colleagues, we receive counsel on best practices for
serving members of their community. Thanks to their recommendations, our BMO
Bank of
Montreal Direct Banking Client Service Centre is equipped with a teletypewriter
(TTY/TTD) which allows our clients who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing
to have all of their banking needs met through one single point of contact.
"I'm very proud
of BMO’s reputation as a highly trusted organization. A key part
of maintaining that trust is our proven commitment to safeguarding the
privacy of our customers and employees."
Johnna Koso
Chief Privacy Officer
BMO Financial Group
Safeguarding Privacy
Building a foundation of trust with our stakeholders requires that we respect
and protect the privacy and confidentiality of the personal information of
our customers and employees. BMO has a Chief Privacy Officer, whose mandate
is the safeguarding of personal information and who is accountable for our
privacy policy, complaint resolution, education and communication activities.
The Chief Privacy Officer also manages the Privacy Office, a team of employees
responsible and accountable for our organization’s compliance with privacy
legislation. This team is also responsible for providing advice, expertise,
education, support, and monitoring and reporting to executive management and
the Board of Directors.
During 2007, BMO completed several key initiatives related to privacy. The
Privacy Office, together with our Information Management and Information
Security departments, implemented an enterprise-wide employee learning
program to increase
awareness of the proper handling of personal and confidential information.
In addition, BMO collaborated with industry groups and the Office of the
Privacy Commissioner of Canada to develop breach notification guidelines,
and continued
to provide input to the review of the Personal Information Protection and
Electronic Documents Act, designed for the protection of personal information
in the private
sector.
To help ensure that we respect and protect the personal information of our
customers and employees and maintain the trust of all of our stakeholders,
we monitor our practices for protecting personal information and make adjustments
to existing controls as necessary. This is critical given the ever-changing
technological and operational environment. While we strive to maintain effective
controls to protect personal information, incidents may still occur. We maintain
processes that help us quickly and appropriately respond to any privacy complaints
or incidents to minimize the impact of these situations.
"The role of
the Ombudsman is to listen, record and meticulously review the facts of
a complaint in an independent, objective and fair manner. Our independence
enables us to address customer concerns in an unbiased and impartial manner.
As an advocate of fairness, our goal is to do the right thing."
John Graham
Ombudsman
BMO Financial Group
Resolving Customer Complaints
Our complaint resolution process is part of our commitment to not only serving our customers responsibly but also acting as our customers’ advocate. Managing complaints effectively is essential to retaining our customers.
In 2007, we developed a single reference document for customers who want
to resolve a complaint. The new brochure, called We Can Help – Resolving Customer Complaints, was designed to help BMO’s Canadian customers find the BMO team able to assist when a problem arises. It lists the complaint resolution process for all of BMO’s Canadian operating groups and includes contact information for BMO’s Ombudsman, the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments, regulators and provincial securities commissions. It also lists the financial services industry’s Voluntary Commitments and Codes of Conduct that BMO agrees to follow. This brochure has been available in all BMO Bank of Montreal branches and online since May 2007.
If a dispute cannot be resolved satisfactorily either by branch staff or through
internal executive levels, a customer may appeal to BMO Financial Group’s Office of the Ombudsman. As an advocate for fairness, the Ombudsman
does not take sides and addresses problems or concerns in an unbiased and impartial manner. Every member of the Office of the Ombudsman is dedicated solely to resolving customer concerns and is not involved in BMO’s day-to-day operations. If a customer is not satisfied with BMO’s decision on a complaint, it is his or her right to contact the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments for an impartial and informal review. The Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments is not a regulator, and doesn’t advocate for consumers or the industry. Services from the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments are free to consumers.
