This afternoon, I dropped by the Barclays Esher branch to be briefed on the ‘Your Bank’ initiative. Barclays is working in partnership with the local community to keep the last branch in the town open and sustainable over the long term.
With that in mind, Barclays have re-introduced a branch manager, and begun a variety of activities to raise awareness and increase footfall in the branch. As they help train customers how to access more services online, they are also encouraging more people into the branch – with advice to start ups, and training on how to avoid online scams. It was particularly interesting to try out the new video banking facility that has been installed, which gives customers greater access to specialists for complex enquiries. Meanwhile, their current account switching service takes under 30 minutes of a customer’s time to complete (and is activated within 7 days).
My thanks to Jon Clowes, Danny Reardon and the new branch manager, Kam Randhawa, for briefing me on the initiative.
