A “morning only counter service” will come into operation in the Boyle branch of Bank of Ireland in late July.
The information is contained in an official statement issued from the Bank to Boyletoday.com concerning changes at the branch which reads as follows:
“When we look at trends over time within a branch’s catchment area and see a consistent decrease in counter activity, we reconfigure the branch to support how our customers are using it. That means moving staff from behind the counter directly onto the floor, where they can provide advice and assistance to customers including in the use of self-service options. This change has been very successful in a growing number of our branches, where we have seen an increase in transactions happening in branch through the enhanced availability of self-service options.”
“Having assessed usage, we recognise that counter services in some branches are not required for the entire day, with afternoons generally the quietest counter period. In the case of our Boyle branch, from late July we are moving to a five day ‘morning-only counter service’, with staff available on the floor for the afternoon. Cash services are still available in the afternoon using the in-branch self-service options and staff will be on hand on the floor to assist customers with this.”
“Our customers are rapidly changing the way they bank, just as they are changing the way they buy goods or services online and communicate with each other. Today, only 3% of our customers’ total transactions are conducted over the counter – 97% of all transactions take place through other channels. For example, every month, we have eight million interactions with our customers on our mobile app, and over 14 million interactions per month through the mobile app, online banking, and contact centres combined. In addition, the use of credit and debit card and contactless banking continues to grow, with demand for cheques, foreign currency and coin services continuing to significantly reduce.”
“We continue to invest in and improve our customer offerings. Our Boyle branch has an existing external ATM and this will be upgraded to a lodgement ATM later this year. The branch also has two digital kiosks, where customers can access their accounts online or apply for a product. Our staff will be available on the floor to assist customers to use the available in-branch services and advise on products such as mortgages, investments, and insurance.”
“Implementation of these changes is taking place on a phased basis with a two-month period for comprehensive customer notification” the statement concludes.
