(Bloomberg) -- Ireland’s retail banks need to improve their customer service, the regulator said after finding some callers were waiting for hours to speak to someone. 

A review by the nation’s central bank found customers were waiting more than two hours in some cases, it said in an emailed statement. As many as half the calls on one phone line were abandoned, it said, adding it was “clear” that some banks did not have enough staff working on customer support phone lines.

The central bank carried out a review of customer service at Bank of Ireland Group Plc, AIB Group Plc, Permanent TSB Group Holdings Plc, NatWest Group Plc’s Ulster Bank unit and KBC Group NV’s Irish unit. The Central Bank expects firms to report back on their progress over the course of the year.

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With NatWest and KBC set to leave the market, “it is expected that the demand for customer services will increase across the banking sector as customers look to move accounts, access new services and seek information,” central bank director of consumer protection Colm Kincaid said. “It is the responsibility of banks to ensure that they have sufficient resources in place to help consumers navigate this significant change in our banking market.” 

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