A miracle at Lebanese banks

Written by

Maya Zankoul

in

Breaking news! Lebanese banks & postal services implement numbering system to avoid waiting in line and to save time!

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BEFORE: we had to wait in line.

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THEN, THE MIRACLE: Numbering system

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2- Get informed of "THE MIRACLE".

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3- Nag about it and try to negotiate a faster deal. "But my transaction is fast!"

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4- Resignedly go to miracle and not know how to use it. "Hmm. This looks like toilet paper!"

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5- Have someone explain the "right" way to use it. "you only get one ticket!"

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6- go back to waiting in line

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7- When your turn finally comes 40 minutes later...

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When your turn comes, lady interrupts

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"Madame get a number, please!" "But my transaction is fast!"

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Take the lady to step 4 and repeat to fade

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If you’ve been at a bank [that I won’t name] or at Liban Post lately, then you have surely noticed the new “numbering” system. I had to wait about 40 minutes for my turn to come, so I thought that I might as well observe and analyze the different interactions happening there! 🙂 I wonder how long it will take for the new system to be understood by people coming for transactions!

I’ll now leave you with this beautiful song, covered by Eva Cassidy “Song Bird”. Have a beautiful day! 🙂

Songbird 2

That this post is being added live at LAU social class!

Comments

29 responses to “A miracle at Lebanese banks”

  1. Haytham Khouja Avatar
    Haytham Khouja

    shoot the teller!

    Reply
  2. Riham Avatar
    Riham

    I’ll name the bank if you want!

    I hate going to it because it always takes me an hour to pay the amount due, like 25$
    How about them going into lunch break as soon as your turn comes? 🙂 Although this mostly happens in public institutions.

    Reply
  3. Danielle Baiz Avatar
    Danielle Baiz

    How about instituting online banking? Isn’t it about time?!?

    Reply
    1. Simon Avatar
      Simon

      isn’t there already online banking support in Lebanon? I haven’t been to a bank in more than 5 or 6 years!!!

      Reply
  4. uberVU – social comments

    Social comments and analytics for this post…

    This post was mentioned on Twitter by mayazankoul: Live from #lausocial, today’s post is about the latest innovation in Lebanese banks & postal services 😀 http://bit.ly/cYMBsA…

    Reply
  5. Simon Avatar
    Simon

    I love the guy’s eyelashes in step#3.
    But you missed the step where someone walks in and he knows the teller, or the son/daughter of someone with wasta, then the numbering system doesn’t apply to them. Things like that is wat really pisses me off when i visit lebanon.

    Awesome work as usual Maya 🙂

    Reply
  6. Ekios Avatar
    Ekios

    Maya you do realise that, with the time going, the Lebanese society is always looking a bit more primitive in your pages ? :p

    Careful with that, I’m always laughing, but other ones don’t anymore 😉

    Reply
    1. Ahmad Osman Avatar
      Ahmad Osman

      Honestly, I do not see why she would be careful with that, and why people should keep on laughing in the first place.

      I have been realising lately that, yes, we are a third world country in the flesh, and that there is nothing funny about it, except perhaps those who try to conceal the fact by depicting nothing but Hamra, Achrafié, and Gemmaysé.

      It is not funny, and it is not coming to an end if we did not look it in the eye.

      Reply
  7. Nahil Avatar
    Nahil

    loooooooooooooooooooooool ad ma yetawaro el 3alam lebnene 3adato sa3be tetghayar hahahha very funny one! 😀 i like the way u drew the ladies too hahaha the one in yellow 😛 ktir sportif jeye tshedd b nos din el bank hahahaha <3 thx to them they make lebanon a great place

    Reply
  8. Abed Avatar
    Abed

    come on! it’s not bad this way…a smoother experience so far 😛

    Reply
  9. rami kiwan Avatar
    rami kiwan

    Very funny numbering system!
    Hey Maya what about the proportional electoral system? Do you think it would be easier to be understood by people? What people are we talking about?!?!?!?!?!
    Advice please!

    Reply
  10. Ahmad Osman Avatar
    Ahmad Osman

    1. I love the guy’s eyelashes in #3.
    2. I love the fact that your characters are starting to recur now throughout different entries in different situations and roles, in the sense that you are being honest about having a fixed repertoire, which is quite postmodernist. This technique was employed successfully in Courage the Cowardly Dog. I used to like him very much.

    Reply
    1. maya zankoul Avatar
      maya zankoul

      Ahmad! You just brightened up my day with your comment! It’s like you’re in my head 😀 Totally understanding the process I work with! I did not know this about Courage, that’s so interesting to know! And yes I’m not ashamed to say I have a fixed repertoire, and I use a lot of copy/paste to save me time… It does not all have to be perfect visually when the core is the message, and the lines are only a means to another end. Thank you 🙂

      Reply
      1. Ahmad Osman Avatar
        Ahmad Osman

        Well you’re welcome anytime. It’s good to know my comment brightened your day for once, instead of your entry brightening mine. Cheers.

  11. Zouzeta Avatar
    Zouzeta

    hey, to tell you the truth i went to the bank and i was shocked.
    Because of the number system i was able to finish in 10 min a lot of things and they were all fast.
    It takes sometime to get used to it but it might be a solution

    But the problem is in Liban Post, i went to send a package to my sis, i took the number and waited for almost one hour, and when finally my number was up, the lady said: “But u are sending a package, u dont need a number just go to the counter there”.
    I went to that counter and there was a line and i had to wait for another hourrrrrr @$%@$^#$%^#$%&#&^
    Let us hope it wont take a lot of time for them to put a sign regarding that!!!

    but all in all, adding some order is not a problem and people eventually will get used to it, and honestly you will always find people passing the line or using the Wasta, but even in Europe and the States you can find people who dont respect the line or just ignore the law.
    But at least we are trying and it migh take time….
    Have a nice day 🙂

    Reply
  12. darinerachkidy Avatar
    darinerachkidy

    well maya.. u missed one fact.. i went to an X institution featruing a numbering machine, they keep it empty in the morning until their staff have their boring sobhieh or coffee, then after waiting for like 15 mn (usually more) one employee comes and places a paper roll in the machine to initiate the process…so everybody runs to take a number, the fastest and the meanest ones who are not usually the one waiting since early morning takes the 1st numbers and get to solve their transaction earlier….it really pissed me offffff
    so y not be pro at the institutions, try to enhance employees skills /performance, avoid sobhieh in the morning, increase front line staff number, empowers them…!!

    Reply
  13. IVY Says Avatar
    IVY Says

    What about the the actual customer service. Haven’t you noticed how unpleasant personal bankers have been lately? It’s almost as though you ( the client) are interrupting them, they act inconvenienced. I had a question for a lady today at a bank and while I was speaking with her, she answered her ringing phone and started what felt like a 10 min conversation with a client ( probably richer than me) because suddenly I was invisible. I learned alot about stocks I must admit, but she wasn’t even trying to seem apologetic to me. After just sitting there I got up to leave. She didn’t even bother looking at me, she didn’t care about my inquiry, although these people have my money!

    I took one look at the manager who seemed busy flirting with the young pretty teller, so why should I even bother complaining, they simply don’t care. Mind you , this is a bank that I switched to because I thought my previous bank was bad.

    What’s happening to this place and how did we become to inconsiderate?

    Reply
  14. cyril Avatar
    cyril

    they have that at the blood lab in hotel dieu too.. they’ve had it for a while actually.

    Reply
  15. annie Avatar
    annie

    Hahahahahahaha it’s actually than before !!!!!!

    Reply
  16. Armigatus Avatar
    Armigatus

    I disagree with you.

    It might take time to make people learn and accept the idea of waiting in line and getting their turn in a first-come-first-serve basis, like in any civilised country.

    It is much better than the ‘louder-smellier-pushier first-serve’ basis.

    Same happened with the introduction of the traffic lights. Their timing is not optimal, people objected a lot, however that is a first step away from the jungle that we live in.

    Reply
  17. Rudy chidiac Avatar
    Rudy chidiac

    and lool thats old woman ktir wejja wejj bonjour monsieur 😛 lol nice drawings dear

    Reply
  18. ghassan deeb Avatar
    ghassan deeb

    OH Bloody SGBL 🙁 GRRRRR…..

    Reply
  19. www.mayazankoul.com visits us! « Karim Bekdache

    […] was so nice is that she uploaded her latest blog post http://mayazankoul.com/2010/03/18/a-miracle-at-lebanese-banks/ live in front of us and we saw what she does after posting it..checking out comments, […]

    Reply
  20. rain Avatar
    rain

    i kind of liked the new system ^^

    Reply
  21. Maya Zankoul…In New Media Class! « Ivette's Blog

    […] What was even more intersting about this visit was that we got to see Maya live in action, while she posted a new entry unto her blog! We were the first to see that post! http://mayazankoul.com/2010/03/18/a-miracle-at-lebanese-banks/ […]

    Reply
  22. salim allawzi Avatar
    salim allawzi

    fantastic work ..
    i like ..

    keep going Maya 🙂

    Regards

    Reply
  23. Lebanese blogosphere weekly link roundup (2010/03/21) | +961

    […] A miracle at Lebanese Banks Maya’s Amalgam […]

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  24. gold rings Avatar
    gold rings

    Hi, I am trying to read this blog via RSS, but im getting a strange error message.. can you please assist?

    Reply
  25. gold rings Avatar
    gold rings

    RSS is working now, thanks!

    Reply

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