A recurring issue I identified with visiting the bank branches is the inconvenience of waiting in line to access services. Especially after considering the research I had done surrounding Gen Z’s banking habits, it is clear that efficiency is key in banking solutions.
Lines in Banking Branches
Barclays had quite an interesting piece of marketing encouraging their clients to bank online instead of queueing in branch:
It is clear that there is a strong push towards online banking from more traditional and long standing banks. It is quite interesting to see the added feature in Barclays of paying in cheques via the app. This undoubtedly was a process that attracted a lot of traffic into branches, so digitalising this would possibly push banking branches into obsolescence.
All of the banks I visited had this survey displayed in some form. I found it quite interesting that the top 2 best performing banks- Starling Bank and Monzo - are digital banks. It is clear that banking solutions with strong digital presence and interfaces perform the best in the eyes of the consumer.
I found it slightly odd there was such a focus on self-service in bank branches. I feel as though if one has to make the effort to journey into a bank branch, it would likely be to solve an issue they cannot complete by themselves.
QuickLodge Self Service Slip Envelope
I gathered leaflets from banks that detailed their online banking solutions. Again this is rather interesting to me. There is a strong sense that banks are really encouraging their customers to use banking apps.
A Guide to AIB Banking Alerts