TD Canada
Trust launches interactive website for customers experiencing
financial hardship
TD Helps reaches out to customers with worries about credit card
debt, mortgage payments and bill
payments July 22, 2009 (Toronto, ON)
– Tasha leans against the railing of a bridge overlooking
the shuttered mill that, until recently and for many decades, was
the lifeblood of her small Northern Ontario town. A customer
service representative at the local TD Canada Trust branch, she
worries about the effects of this latest economic blow on her
customers, most of whom she knows personally. Not long ago one couple came in to see her
and Tasha went over their whole financial picture with them. As
Tasha explains in a video on TD Canada Trust’s new
website for customers who need help, “We were able to
arrange lower monthly payments and offer a bit of a cushion in case
times got worse and they did
the husband lost his job. We
don’t know if the mill’s going to reopen, but
what we do know is that this couple is comfortable for the next few
years. They have a plan in place and they’re going to be
ok.” TD Helps, launched
today by TD Canada Trust, is a website dedicated to helping
customers who are experiencing financial hardship. Inspired by
stories shared among employees on TD’s intranet, videos
on TD Helps feature employees explaining in their own words how
they were able to help their customers. “Our employees were the driving
force behind this website. We thought and hoped that a lot of our
customers would identify with some of the situations our employees
have helped with, and that their stories would encourage people to
come and see us sooner,” says Tim Hockey, President and
CEO, TD Canada Trust. Earlier this year, to help customers facing
real hardship due to the economy, TD Canada Trust introduced an
internal program to make sure that its employees knew what some
customers were dealing with. Employees were specially trained and
equipped with real solutions, like the ability to defer mortgage
payments, and to consolidate debt for lower monthly payments. And,
importantly, they were given the decision-making ability to make a
difference for those customers. Says Hockey, “The result was that
we were helping thousands of customers stay in their homes, get
their debt under control and their lives back on track. And while
we know it isn’t possible to help 100% of the time, the
program has been a huge success and we wanted to spread it to more
customers. The earlier they come and talk to us, the more we can
help.” Pretty soon TD employees were asking
“How do we reach more people? How do we get the word out
to more people that we can help them?” The TD Helps
website, launched with a full on-line marketing campaign, was the
answer. The site features: - Encouragement to customers to talk to TD
Canada Trust as early as possible about financial
problems
- Video interviews with TD Canada Trust
employees sharing real life examples of customers they
helped
- The opportunity for customers to comment on
the videos
- Information about how to contact TD Canada
Trust for help with credit card debt, mortgage payments and bill
payments
While customers have been able to comment on
the TD Money Lounge on Facebook for a couple of years, this is the
first time the bank has ever opened up its own site for
comments. “We’re pretty excited
about that,” says Hockey. “Customers are going
to be able to share their thoughts about the videos and the stories
our employees are telling and we are eager to hear what they have
to say.” About TD Bank Financial
Group The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its
subsidiaries are collectively known as TD Bank Financial Group. TD
Bank Financial Group is the sixth largest bank in North America by
branches and serves approximately 17 million customers in four key
businesses operating in a number of locations in key financial
centres around the globe: Canadian Personal and Commercial Banking,
including TD Canada Trust and TD Insurance; Wealth Management,
including TD Waterhouse and an investment in TD Ameritrade; U.S.
Personal and Commercial Banking through TD Banknorth and TD Bank,
America's Most Convenient Bank; and Wholesale Banking, including TD
Securities. TD Bank Financial Group also ranks among the world's
leading online financial services firms, with more than 5.5 million
online customers. TD Bank Financial Group had $575 billion in
assets on April 30, 2009. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades under
the symbol "TD" on the Toronto and New York Stock
Exchanges. For further
information:
Carolyn Abbass / Karen McCullough
Paradigm Public Relations
416-203-2223
cabbass@paradigmpr.ca /
kmccullough@paradigmpr.ca
Erin Baldwin
TD Bank Financial Group
416-308-4061
erin.baldwin@td.com
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