It could take several weeks for RBS customers to have the effect of their account problems sorted out, the Financial Ombudsman Service has warned.
A computer software upgrade at RBS failed last week, disrupting payments into and out of accounts.
The bank is still working through a backlog of failed transactions affecting current account customers.
David Cresswell of the FOS said the knock-on effects would take longer to identify and rectify.
"It is really important to start making a note of what is happening to you, of conversations you have with people, of difficulties you are facing, or knock-on effects, because this is a ripple effect from the original problems," he said.
"What you need to do is make a clear list of how you have been affected, so you can go back to your bank and say: 'This is the complete picture, how can you help?'"
The sort of problems RBS is expecting to deal with are extra charges for inadvertently going overdrawn or paying a credit card bill late, and making sure that a customer's credit rating is not damaged.
The bank is also planning to liaise with other banks so that their customers who were affected, for instance by not receiving a payment from a NatWest account, are also not left out of pocket.
RBS has declined so far to estimate how many customers have been affected, how many have complained, or how many have used its telephone helpline.
But a bank spokeswoman stressed that they wanted affected customers to come forward so problems could be resolved.
"We are offering our customers a choice: face-to-face at any branch, over the phone or via postform on our website," she said.
To cope with the extra workload, RBS is opening 1,200 of its main branches earlier than usual this week and shutting them later.
The bank will reimburse customers for the cost of calling its 0845 helpline number.
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