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First City Monument Bank (FCMB) is marking the global Customer Service Week 2026 with a combination of practical digital banking enhancements, direct executive engagement with customers, employee innovation programmes, and targeted rewards. The week, running from October 5 to 9 under the official international theme “The Extra Mile,” arrives at a moment when Nigerian banks face intensifying pressure to deliver reliable, convenient and human-centred experiences amid rising digital adoption, infrastructure challenges and heightened customer expectations.
The official theme, illustrated with a classic road-sign logo, emphasises the value of going a little further for every customer—anticipating needs, resolving issues fully, showing empathy and continuously improving processes. In Nigeria, the SERVICOM agency has echoed this call across government institutions, while private-sector players, including banks, are using the week to reinforce service cultures that extend beyond ceremonial recognition.
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Digital Enhancements Addressing Real Pain Points
Among FCMB’s recent upgrades are expanded authentication options through its Temi AI chatbot and the integration of transaction e-tokens into customer receipts. These allow customers to retrieve verification details without relying exclusively on SMS delivery—a response to persistent challenges in Nigeria’s messaging ecosystem.
SMS and OTP delays have long frustrated Nigerian banking customers. Network congestion, aggregator bottlenecks, fibre cuts and regulatory shifts in messaging have frequently left users waiting for critical confirmation codes or transaction alerts. By embedding e-tokens in receipts and strengthening chatbot authentication, FCMB reduces dependence on a single, sometimes unreliable channel. Temi, the bank’s AI assistant (accessible via asktemi.fcmb.comand integrated into the mobile app), already supports account opening, balance checks, limit increases, investment inquiries, fraud alerts and more.
Expanding its authentication capabilities fits into a broader push to make digital interactions faster and more self-service oriented.
These moves sit against a backdrop of wider industry efforts. Earlier in 2026, FCMB upgraded its mobile app with reward points for everyday transactions, in-app mutual fund investments, instant virtual card requests and activation, simplified Tier 1 to Tier 2 account upgrades, and the “Chat with Temi” feature. The bank has also offered lifestyle benefits through a Regal Premium subscription and free transfers for new-to-bank customers. Collectively, these features aim to turn routine banking into a more rewarding and seamless experience while supporting financial inclusion for customers who previously needed branch visits for basic upgrades.
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| FCMB Customer Services |
Independent Validation from KPMG Survey
FCMB’s digital push has found external validation. In the KPMG 2025 Nigeria Banking Industry Customer Experience Survey (part of the broader West Africa report drawing on more than 24,000 retail respondents in Nigeria), the bank ranked first in mobile banking experience and first in USSD experience. Its mobile-app score rose from 76.1 in 2024 to 77.5 in 2025. It also ranked first in contact-centre experience (score improving from 74.5 to 76.0) and placed second in internet banking, just 0.3 points behind the leader.
Among FCMB respondents, 54% used mobile banking weekly, and the quality of digital services was the leading reason customers cited for staying with the bank. USSD remains particularly important for users on basic feature phones or in areas with limited internet—still a significant segment of Nigeria’s population. The survey underscored that availability, reliability, security and personalisation are becoming baseline expectations rather than differentiators. Resolution of complaints continues to be an industry weak point overall, making consistent contact-centre performance a meaningful advantage.
These rankings matter in a market where digital channels have become the primary lens through which customers judge their banks. Competition is no longer just about having an app or USSD code; it is about uptime, speed, security and the ability to turn a poor experience into a good one.
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Leadership Quotes and Cultural Focus
“At FCMB, customer service is a continuous commitment that shapes how we design our products, deploy technology and engage with our customers,” said Yemisi Edun, Managing Director of FCMB. “We remain focused on listening to customers and improving the solutions we provide to meet their evolving needs.”
Felicia Obozuwa, Executive Director, Corporate Services and Service Management, emphasised the internal culture: the bank aims to build an environment in which employees consistently seek opportunities to improve experiences. “Our goal is to ensure customers feel heard, valued and supported at every interaction,” she said.
These statements align with FCMB’s longer pattern of treating Customer Service Week as more than a calendar event. In previous years the bank has sent executives into branches for direct customer interaction—an approach it is repeating in 2026.
Engagement, Rewards and Employee Innovation
During the week, FCMB’s executive management team will engage customers directly at selected branches. Across the branch network and digital channels, the bank is running customer and employee engagement activities.
Rewards include a 10% bonus on airtime purchases made through the *329# USSD platform over a three-day period. New-to-bank customers who buy airtime worth at least ₦200 via the FCMB Mobile App receive a 20% bonus. Visitors to FCMB Premium Lounges in Lagos and Abuja are eligible for promotional rewards, while holders of FCMB Kiddies Accounts will receive age-appropriate appreciation activities.
On the employee side, the bank is organising a Digital Innovation Pitch, a Banker’s Game Show and a competition focused on service excellence and collaboration. These internal programmes signal an attempt to embed continuous improvement and cross-team problem-solving rather than treating service excellence as solely a frontline responsibility.
FCMB’s Trajectory and Industry Pressures
Founded in 1982 as First City Merchant Bank (with roots in City Securities Limited established in 1977 by the late Otunba Subomi Balogun), FCMB was the first Nigerian bank created without government or foreign support. It evolved into a universal bank, listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, and today offers personal, business and corporate banking services. The institution has grown through acquisitions, capital raises and expansion into the UK, while navigating successive waves of regulation, consolidation and digital disruption.
Nigeria’s banking sector continues to grapple with infrastructure realities—network downtime, fibre cuts, SMS reliability issues, USSD airtime dependencies and the sheer volume of electronic transactions. Customers increasingly benchmark banks against fintechs on speed and resolution. At the same time, personalisation expectations are rising faster than many institutions can deliver. In this environment, combining digital tools that reduce friction (e-tokens, chatbot authentication, in-app support) with visible human engagement and tangible rewards represents a pragmatic response.
Customer Service Week itself originated in the United States in 1987 and has been observed internationally during the first full week of October.
It serves as both recognition of frontline staff and a public reminder that service quality underpins trust and loyalty. For Nigerian banks, the week often doubles as a platform to publicise ongoing investments and to gather real-time feedback from customers and employees.
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Looking Ahead
FCMB’s combination of targeted digital fixes, independent survey performance, executive visibility and customer rewards illustrates one bank’s attempt to operationalise “The Extra Mile.”
Sustaining leadership in mobile, USSD and contact-centre experience will require continued investment in reliability, security, complaint resolution and intelligent use of data. Rankings can shift quickly as competitors improve their platforms.
For customers, the practical takeaways this week include the airtime bonuses, lounge promotions and the chance to interact with bank leadership. For the industry, the episode highlights a broader truth: in a market where digital channels dominate daily banking, the institutions that reduce everyday friction while maintaining a human connection stand the best chance of converting satisfaction into lasting advocacy.
FCMB provides personal, business and corporate banking services across Nigeria. As Customer Service Week 2026 unfolds, the bank’s activities offer a case study in how traditional lenders are adapting to a more demanding, digitally fluent customer base.
Samuel O. Sulaimon is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Naijapiz. He covers News, Sports, Finance, Faiths, Education, Technology.
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