HSBC in Chatham High Street will scrap face-to-face counter services later this year, amid a decline in footfall figures. Customers will no longer be able to carry out transactions over the counter from October, meaning they will need to use new self-service machines instead. The bank says no jobs will be lost and staff will assist customers with learning how to use the machines as well as providing support for digital services, product opening and more complex enquiries. Analysis by the bank found that 84% of its customers that are registered for online banking or telephone banking actively use it, while 6% of customers rely on branch only banking. Although a specific date is yet to be announced, HSBC says its Chatham branch will temporarily close for a refurbishment in its move to becoming a counterless 'Digital Services Branch'.
Jordan Osbourne, HSBC's local director for the area, said: "We are creating four distinct branch formats, designed to provide local areas with the banking facilities that best suit local customer needs, and we are pleased to say our Chatham branch is being retained and we are excited that it will become a Digital Service Branch. "Where we are creating a Digital Service Branch, the biggest change that customers will see will be the removal of a counter. "Virtually all other services the branch previously offered will be maintained, it might just be done in a different way, for example, ‘traditional’ cash and cheque transactions will be done using self-service technology. "We are very conscious that there will be some customers who are less confident or comfortable using self-service options, and we would like to assure them that we will not be leaving any of our customers high and dry. "We are contacting vulnerable customers by phone to discuss the forthcoming change and will be supporting them alternative ways to do their banking." He added that the branch will also have a presentation space set aside for customer seminars, which could include talks on how to avoid becoming the victim of fraud. HSBC reminds that customers can complete day-to-day transactions at the nearest Post Office. The announcement comes just weeks before HSBC permanently closes its branch in Gillingham High Street on Wednesday, 16 July. Comments are closed.
|
Archive
August 2023
|