Deathwish of bank branches

Flobberchops

EachPenny wrote: »

I don't think that is steelman99's point. They are saying that if the tellers are sitting there doing nothing, no queues of people, then it doesn't make sense for the staff to tell the customer to use the machine instead.

Sure, I agree that staff should be able to make reasonable concessions and adapt as best they can from moment to moment. If the queue for the machines were out of the door and there was no queue for the cashier, for example. But even if the branch was completely empty, it's still preferable (for the bank) to ask the customer to use the machine, as it builds their familiarity with the system for next time they're in branch. Thumb-twiddling isn't a good look though, the member of staff should have been on their feet greeting people as they enter!

EachPenny wrote: »

I have experienced the same kind of thing - my impression is counter staff are under pressure to tell customers to use the machines so the percentage of customers interacting with staff reduces. If the banks measure the number of transactions at the counter and see that number is declining then it give them the justification they are looking for to shut more branches down.

There's at least two layers at play here. First the drive to get people transacting digitally or through other channels like telephony - for something like a statement enquiry or a small transfer, why wouldn't you do it in the comfort of your own home?! That's the aspect which will reduce footfall and tend to shrink the bricks-and-mortar network down to a new optimum size. That's also being driven by consumer choices, by the way, as more people use cards instead of cash and are increasingly buying online rather than the high street.

Secondly, automation - humans aren't robots, so why pay staff good money to do things like hand-counting notes or manually processing cheques when a machine will do that just as well? The new trend is to provide machines for the customers who want a swift transactional experience, in order to free up the staff to deliver the "soft skills" half of the job - customer service, complaints, having those deeper conversations about products and services you mention in your penultimate paragraph, and so on. In my experience counter-only branches are typically full of customers who are frustrated by the wait time and conscious of the queue behind them, neither of which particularly lends itself to having a relaxed and fruitful chat about finances at the counter.

I'm biased, naturally, but on the flip side of the coin I'm also a customer of another bank, and a frequent Post Office user. When I want a financial review or to discuss products, I'll find an advisor. When I want to withdraw a tenner or buy a book of stamps, I head to the self service machines, and woe betide any staff member who tries to "help" me while asking probing questions about my credit card needs. I *like* having choice when I have to visit a branch. :beer:

PeacefulWaters

gardner1 wrote: »

Get used to it i also live in small market town 15 years ago we had Lloyds,Barclays.Hsbc,Tsb......Mercantile BS,Universal BS plus agency for Halifax
We now have Tsb

I'm going to suggest that fifteen years ago you had neither a Lloyds or a TSB.

custardy

steelman99 wrote: »

I live in a small market town which upto about 3 years ago had branches of all 4 of the main banks plus agency's for nationwide, halifax ect

we are now in a position where all the agency's have moved on HSBC closed last year , Nat west are closing this year , Barclays have reduced their opening hours to 2 days a week between 10am &3 pm.

Today I went into Lloyds to pay in some change from our piggy banks (Mrs & I have this thing where we put all our £2 coins, 20p's 2p's & 1p's into a piggy bank throughout the year, then in Jan , bag them up and use them ad a deposit for our holiday)

There was about £400 in around 25 bags , all correctly counted , when I handed them in I was told that it was now Lloyds policy to only accept 10 bags per customer per day in bagged coins

Apparently customers weren't notified of this , it just became the rules last November

Luckily I found a way to change it all to notes by a local shop keeper who was glad of the change - apparently they get charged by banks to get change

Went back to the branch and was informed by the jobsworth behind the counter that they were only there at a weekend to deal with complex transactions that could not be done by machine , so I had to pay my cash in by putting my card and the notes into this machine

Know it might not be all the bank staffs fault , but they certainly are doing the best to close their branches , by making it difficult to use the branch

both times I went into the branch ,the teller was sat behind the counter twiddling her thumbs , so it was not as though she was rushed off her feet

If you live in a small town,you cant be that far from the branch?
Make 3 trips with your change and that should really spike up the banks share price.....

trailingspouse

I also live in a small market town. We 'still' have a branch of Santander, and I bank with Santander. The only time I ever go in is twice a year (my birthday and Christmas) when I need to pay in the cheque my father has sent me. He's 82 and doesn't hold with online banking...

I needed to renegotiate my Santander mortgage - did it online. I wanted a Santander loan to change my car - did it online. I wanted to send the kids money for Christmas - did it online.

And I have honestly never understood why people save their change - much better to spend it, which will mean needing to withdraw cash less frequently, which will mean that your £400 will have sat in your bank earning a modicum of interest all year.

gt94sss2

trailingspouse wrote: »

I also live in a small market town. We 'still' have a branch of Santander, and I bank with Santander. The only time I ever go in is twice a year (my birthday and Christmas) when I need to pay in the cheque my father has sent me. He's 82 and doesn't hold with online banking...

And from this summer you will be able to pay in cheques via Santander's app as well..

Have to say though, it is nice to have a local branch though - where my parents live in SW London - the local HSBC branch closed last year and Natwest will close this summer. That only leaves a 'sub-branch' of Barclays. One of the biggest impacts of this means the local area which is quite busy will have gone from 5 bank ATMs to just 1.

TheBanker

gt94sss2 wrote: »

Have to say though, it is nice to have a local branch though - where my parents live in SW London - the local HSBC branch closed last year and Natwest will close this summer. That only leaves a 'sub-branch' of Barclays. One of the biggest impacts of this means the local area which is quite busy will have gone from 5 bank ATMs to just 1.

The shopping parade near me had, until recently, a Lloyds and a Barclays. Both closed, within weeks of each other. We do still have a Post Office with a free ATM, and a little Sainsburys with an ATM so not the end of the world. But we have gone from 6 ATMs to 2.

I did find it amusing that both banks listed the other as a nearby ATM on their closure leaflets, even though they were both closing at the same time.

Abbafan1972

Recently we have lost 3 branches of HSBC and 2 branches of Halifax, (I do bank with these 2, but not sure about the other banks).

Luckily I use online banking and am able to do all I need from my laptop or phone.

Just before Christmas I had to pay in a small cheque at a Branch of Halifax, which is a rare thing for me and even then I had to use an automated machine.

Unfortunately the banks have played a part in their own demise by introducing online banking and automated services. I am ok with using online banking and would rather go on my phone to check my balance, than have to go to the cashpoint in the cold.

It's the older generation that suffer though, because many don't have the skills or are unwilling to take on new technology.

I'm sure in the not too distant future, many manned checkouts at supermarkets will disappear and there will be more self scanning ones.

TheBanker

Abbafan1972 wrote: »

R
Unfortunately the banks have played a part in their own demise by introducing online banking and automated services.

I doubt the banks see this as a "demise" - fewer staff to pay, fewer buildings to lease, heat, maintain and insure. Running a bank branch was profitable when they could mis-sell PPI and packaged accounts. Less so now.

KJSmith

steelman99 wrote: »

Apparently customers weren't notified of this , it just became the rules last November

Wasn't notice of this provided by way of a change in terms of conditions, where all customers were written to with the required notice of at least 2 months?

Wasn't there also signage on display the branch notifying you of this limit during this notice period?

Ja7188

In the nicest possible way, the OP needs to change this 'thing' he and his wife do - it has already been pointed out that he's losing interest and if he suffers a break-in, he could lose the cash...

A much better solution would be to open a regular savings account and transfer circa £35 into it each month and to simply spend the coppers - self-service tills in supermarkets are great for this providing that it isn't done whilst there's a queue...