Natwest getting rid of cashiers - Sign of things to come?

Mr.Duck

Just wondered if anyone else has noticed this, my local NatWest branch (which use to be pretty big and held several cashiers) was recently refurbished.

We only have 1 NatWest near my town, it's now completed and has been reopened.

I was pretty shocked to find that the bank now several pay-in machines in place of the cashiers, along with a main desk and 2 private "booths" for applications I would assume.

Is this a sign of banking to come?

Machines surely can only do certain amount of things, while I've neverreally used a cashier (apart from when Natwest had a big computer meltdown) I kind of feel sorry for the older generation.

Each customer is an individual with surely individual needs?

camperdown9

My local Barclays was refurbished last year. There is now just one counter. Customers are encouraged to use machines.

I was in an HSBC in London last week. There were three cashiers desks but only one in use and a member of staff was actively trying to encourage people to us the machines.

Many French banks well at least Credit Agricole and HSBC (France) don't have a cashier service at all. Its just machines with one member of staff hanging around to deal with inquiries and to help people who have issues using the machines.

pmduk

You may find there are a couple of cashiers tucked away out of sight for the old diehards, but is indeed the way of things to come, along with cheques and other outdated modes of banking. Machines are generally cheaper to run, don't need holidays, teabreaks etc and usually get replaced if they start making mistakes.

jimjames

I'd imagine 95% of transactions can be automated, the things that need human interaction are more for advice and resolving issues which doesn't need a cashier desk.

msallen

I believe they don't let you pay in threepenny bits any more either...

TheBanker

My local Natwest has cashiers and machines, including one of the machines to pay in loose change.

I recently went to another Natwest and they also had machines to pay in loose change, but instead of paying it in the machine printed a voucher and told me to go to a cashier to pay it in.

The cashiers weren't behind a traditional glass screen, they were at separate "podium" type desks. Customers who wanted to see a cashier had to give their name to a third member of staff, who wrote it on her clipboard and told them to go and sit at the other end of the branch. When a cashier was free this lady would look at her clipboard and call out the name of the next customer. But if she got distracted helping someone use a machine, neither the cashiers or the customers knew who should be served next.

I found it a very strange system and glad that in my usual branch if you want to be served by a cashier you just join the queue and wait your turn!

MABLE

When ever I visit my local Lloyds bank to pay money in I am always directed to a paying in cash machine. Now I am use to it I do not mind at all.

nwc389

There are always new systems being Devised by the 'ivory towers ' crew that seem to run places without ever having experienced working in that situation .
Automated banking is a huge timesaver and really convenient unfortunately if and inevitably when something goes wrong then it's mayhem so a decent balance is still needed .
If you get a power cut the branch will go into meltdown , if you lose a machine it will have a huge impact if you can't get it back up and running quickly .
There is still need for cashiers but banks must get the balance right and believe me some customers are extremely resistant to using machines !

pmduk

There were people that said customers would never use ATMs, but 99.9%* of customers use them without a second thought. (*My own unsubstantiated statistic)

takman

Banks need to invest more in machines that allow you to pay in notes and coins at any normal cash machine. They should make it so that you never need to visit a branch and if you need to talk to someone it should be live chat online or a 24 hour phoneline.

Having to visit a bank is very inconvenient and luckly I've only had to do it a few times in the last 5 years.

nidO

Mr.Duck wrote: »

Each customer is an individual with surely individual needs?

Not really. Each customer is an individual but 99% of them wandering into a branch generally need the same thing, they want to pay a cheque or cash in, or take cash out.
This is what cashiers do/did and are now being automated.

Obviously plenty of people do go into banks for other reasons but these reasons don't tend to need a cashier (now or in the past), and most of these banks that have been modernised that i've needed to visit recently still have plenty of staff hanging round with their ipads at their little reception podiums that're all the rage lately.