Who still goes to their bank?

I mean inside the actual building?

My Father often rants about ‘the good ole days’ when if you wanted a loan you took a stroll down the road and spoke to the bank manager.

Back when deals were built on handshakes and gusto!

I can try in vain, through tears of frustration, to explain to my Father that things no longer work that way in our hectic jostling lifestyles.   

That technology has dragged us into a more organized and (hopefully) stable future where money itself is digital and less tangible than ever.

How then, do I hope to explain or justify the ‘Self Service’ concept that is permeating our culture?

I, for one, applaud the initiative that many banks have rolled out.

We can now access and utilize any account at any time of the day or night, apply for a loan and get an instant decision online, transfer funds and so much more from a huge myriad of devices on the move!

Even within the banks things are a changing.

Instead of a long row of windows populated typically by just two or three tellers, now there are rows of fully working; shiny efficient machines that don’t get upset if a customer is curt or  standoffish; that don’t need a toilet break or have outside interests that could potentially influence their work and productivity!

Beautiful, infallible machines!     

                                              

However there is an underlying current of doubt that tugs at the corners of my mind.

Will the personal touch survive and how will this effect the customer's experience? 

At present, banks involved in self-service have a great deal of staff front of house. 

Their role is to assist customers as we get used to interacting with these new channels for our finances, but how long will they last?

Liken it to this if you will.

Once upon a time you called up a company and got through to an actual person who you would talk your issue through to a resolution. Brilliant!

Of course we all know how things work now!

You call a bank, insurance agent, estate agent, leisure center-anywhere really and you are straight through to an automated message or option system which causes frustration as interaction with the voice system is clumsy and clunky.

Now you may or may not get through to a real live person eventually but it will definitely take a while (or an eon if you use the same mobile phone provider as me and want to talk with them).

So the important question is, following this honeymoon period of self-service where help is at hand to learn how to use these wonderful machines, in branch anyway, will we then be left to fend for ourselves?

Doomed to wander the bank in confusion, searching for a human representative to assist?

Maybe, maybe not. 

In all seriousness, with online and mobile banking becoming such strong channels, few people actually need to go to the bank these days as it can all be done on the go or from home and without ever having to use the phone and traverse the awkward automated voice system again.

Thank you progress.

Which do you prefer - remote banking or a visit to the branch?