A year ago, Nedbank took the bold step of reimagining the way its clients bank when it began the rollout of its new bank branches, which combine the ease and convenience of digital self-service with access to personal attention from professional Nedbank staff if required.
The reimagined Nedbank branches provide clients with a choice of three distinct service zones, offering self-service, staff-assisted service or expert money advice. According to Werner Terblanche, Managing Executive: Nedbank Integrated Channels, this approach seems to be resonating with the bank’s clients. Insights gathered from clients on their experience of the reimagined branches indicate a high level of satisfaction, with over 90% saying that they found it easy or very easy to complete transactions.
“Nedbank introduced these new branches in response to the changing needs of our clients,” Terblanche explains, “and all feedback points to high levels of client appreciation of the new formats, which give them the flexibility of a ‘hybrid’ service approach, effectively allowing them to choose how they want to engage with us.”
Terblanche says that one of the feature’s fast gaining momentum is the easy appointment booking system. “Our clients are able to use their Nedbank Money app or Nedbank Online Banking to pre-book a date and time with a branch consultant,” Terblanche explains, “meaning that they don’t have to wait in a queue to get face-to-face financial guidance or assistance with a complex issue or query that they are unable to resolve themselves.”
He explains that, for many Nedbank customers, a visit to one of the new Nedbank branches can also be quite educational, because the policy of branch staff is to guide clients through the digital processes, rather than completing their transactions for them. “The aim is to empower our clients with the knowledge and tools to do their banking, and better manage their money with trained staff on hand to guide them, in so doing avoiding the trip to the branch in future should they so wish.”
Further insights showed that one of the main reasons most clients have for visiting a branch is to collect their bank cards. This, despite Nedbank still providing various other ways for cards to be received. “Many of our clients still feel more confident collecting their new or replacement cards in person,” Terblanche says, “so our revamped branches make this process quicker and more convenient for them.”
The branches offer self-service card dispensing kiosks that instantly issue clients with their new Nedbank card. Card collection lockers are also being placed in the main Nedbank branches, allowing clients to arrange collection of their new or reissued Nedbank cards without having to queue.
The enhanced branch experiences form part of Nedbank’s broader commitment to make convenient, choice-based banking services available to people and communities across South Africa. “We are working to extend our reach to all communities in SA and we recognise that we have to meet our clients by making banking simple and convenient for them,” he says, “so in addition to these reimagined branches, we are also steadily growing our network of workplace and mobile community bankers to take our banking services directly to our clients. In addition, our partnerships with Boxer, Cashbuild, Hinterland and other retailers ensures our clients have many other convenient points of access to meet their banking servicing needs and we look grow this even further over time.”
Given the positive client response to the Nedbank branches that have already undergone the transformation, Terblanche says that the bank is now rolling out the revised format to all its branches. “For 2022, we have set ourselves a target of over 100 branch reformats, which means we intend completing between 15 and 20 branches every month during the second half of this year,” he says, “while it’s an ambitious undertaking, it’s an investment that we are confident will enhance the banking experience of our clients.
