Corporate Information
People
Sony Bank strives to realize a society where everyone can shine. To achieve this goal, we are committed to improving the accessibility and quality of our products and services to ensure that our services are available and easy to use for as many customers as possible.
MORE and LESS for the People
We are working to provide customer-oriented services, improve quality by utilizing the opinions of our customers, and promote diversity by making the most of each employee's individuality.
We promote the improvement of accessibility, aiming for "easy to use regardless of limitations due to age or disability".
Efforts to Improve Accessibility
Website Accessibility Measures
Sony Bank provides the Internet services without any restrictions of time, place, or distance. To ensure that each and every customer can use our website with ease, we are progressively working to ensure website accessibility in accordance with the Sony Group Web Accessibility Policy, a set of standards and compliance requirements for website accessibility established by the Sony Group (*). The Sony Group's web accessibility application standards are aligned with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) recommended by the World Wide Web Consortium (WC3).
We are gradually updating our website pages to comply with the guidelines. In the meantime, we are working to ensure the accessibility of pages in our online banking system as part of our ongoing banking system renewal.
Measures to improve app accessibility
Sony Bank is working to improve the accessibility of our smartphone-based Sony Bank App (available only in Japanese), such as by incorporating a screen reader feature. We have optimized the app by enabling content displayed on the app screen to be read aloud using the screen reader feature built into your smartphone's operating system (iOS "VoiceOver," Android "TalkBack").
Sony Bank Notification of Application Version Upgrade (Information only available in Japanese)
Accessibility validation for Sony Bank WALLET
Upon the material change of the Sony Bank WALLET (a cash card with Visa Debit functionality), with the cooperation of DNP Communication Design Co., Ltd., we asked people with upper limb disabilities for their opinions on how easy it is to hold the cards. We will continue to receive a wide range of feedback in order to create products and services that are easier to use for as many customers as possible.
Responding to inquiries from customers with disabilities
Inquiries from customers are accepted by phone as well as by email and chat. In addition to AI-based chat, we also offer "chat support," in which a customer center representative responds to inquiries in real time via text.
To facilitate inquiries from customers with hearing or speech impairments, sign language and written communication are also available. Plus Voice Inc., a company outsourced by Sony Bank, accepts inquiries from customers using sign language and written communication and contacts and interprets for Sony Bank on the customer's behalf.
Our English help desk is only available for services through emails and online live chat.
Measures to Meet the Diverse Needs of Our Customers
Mortgages for common-law married couples and partners
Sony Bank respects diversity, and in consideration of the nationwide expansion of partnership programs and social trends, common-law married couples and partners are also eligible to apply for joint mortgages and collateral loans.
Notification of Eligibility Expansion for Joint Mortgages and Secure Loans (information only available in Japanese)
- From the representative to our customers
- In February 2022, Sony Bank became the first online bank in Japan to offer special mortgage rates for environmentally friendly housing. Sony Bank's mortgages are supported by many customers not only in terms of interest rates but also for other features, such as the "がん団信100 - Gan (Cancer) Danshin 100" (a life insurance package for mortgage), which provides generous coverage and the convenience of early repayment and changing the interest rate types. Joint mortgages are also available for common-law married spouses and partners.
In addition, we will work together with our customers to prevent global warming by using the document upload function in the loan process in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the mailing process, and also with the donation by Sony Bank.
English online banking
Sony Bank offers "English online banking", a service that enables international residents in Japan to open an account and make transactions online.
Our English online banking encompasses various products and services, such as Yen and foreign currency deposits, fund transfers, foreign currency remittances, and a debit card. In addition, we have simplified procedures, including the introduction of the Open Account app which uses OCR technology.
OCR, or Optical Character Recognition, is a function that reads handwritten or printed text and converts it into character-based data using an image scanner or digital camera.
Quality improvement initiatives
At Sony Bank, our operators are committed to solving our customers' questions and concerns of our customers, and improving the quality of service to make the help desk is even more convenient and easy to use for our customers.
Since fiscal year 2021, we have introduced a company-wide standardized evaluation for customer service representatives in various customer service departments, and have recognized those who score high on this evaluation. The evaluation is based on two objective indicators: automated voice evaluation (machine evaluation) and questionnaire results (customers' voices) (only available in Japanese). We are working to improve call responses performance by increasing the motivation of customer service representatives. Sony Bank is committed to discuss with relevant departments to improve the quality of its products and services through daily inquiries, comments, and requests from our customers. Please let us know if there is anything you have noticed about our products or services, or if there is anything that has caused you inconvenience.
Feedback and Requests (information and service only available in Japanese)
Internal Activities
Sustainability Conference / Accessibility Communications Committee
We have established a "Sustainability Conference" managed by the executive officer in charge of sustainability to promote sustainability-related initiatives and internal penetration.
In March 2024, the Management Committee decided to establish the “Accessibility Policy” in order to promote the improvement of accessibility of products and services delivered to customers. In addition, the Accessibility Communications Committee conducts periodic meetings to review and improve Sony Bank's website, applications, customer service, etc., on a company-wide basis.
Internal training
As part of its efforts to improve accessibility, Sony Bank conducts annual training targeted for all employees. This training aims to deepen employees' understanding of accessibility and to ensure that we are a bank that is capable of providing "fair" services in line with our corporate philosophy.
Commitment to Diversity
Leveraging the individuality and strengths of each employee
At Sony Bank, we do things that other banks will not do, and we seek to deliver a new level of innovation. As part of our efforts to create products and services that exceed the expectations of our customers, employees specializing in different fields come together to form cross-divisional teams to think about what our customers want from various perspectives and openly share their opinions. In this way, we create an environment that encourages teamwork and where employees can demonstrate their own uniqueness and strengths, while at the same time respecting the individuality of others.
Furthermore, employees with disabilities also make use of their individual strengths to play an active role within their respective divisions. Sony Bank hires people with disabilities on an ongoing basis, accepting applications from both new graduates and those with experience.
In the Sony Bank by the "Numbers Section of Our Careers" page, we disclose data such as the ratio of female employees to total employees.
Talent development activities
To support the growth and career development of our employees, Sony Bank has established a medium- to long-term career progression framework and developed mandatory training programs by job type and level, as well as optional training modules aimed at skills improvement and self-development. We are also focusing our efforts on level-specific elective training and are continuously strengthening our talent development offerings by expanding our program lineup. In addition, we hold regular study sessions for all employees so that individual workers can share the expertise, knowledge and information that they have personally built up.
