Online financial services have developed rapidly, and offline outlets have increased
Bank branch, how to take the road of transformation (Financial Eye)
A 26-year-old Beijing resident Zhang Qiao recently went to a bank branch to do business and found that the company's branch downstairs had closed.
"I take the subway to work in the morning, and I can enter the station by scanning the code with the mobile app bound to the bank card. You can pay for shopping with online banking. Credit card repayment is also through the mobile banking app. Now I am used to online financial services, and going to the bank more Less, although the number of outlets around has decreased, it has not caused any inconvenience." Zhang Ye said.
In recent years, banks have accelerated the development of online business, and the business volume of online banking and mobile banking has grown rapidly.
According to the latest data released by the China Banking Association, last year, banking financial institutions had online banking transactions of 163.784 billion, a year-on-year increase of 7.42%, and mobile banking transactions reached 121.451 billion, a year-on-year increase of 38.88%.
At the same time, many people have found that there has been an increase in the mergers and withdrawals of banks around them.
With people increasingly favoring online financial services, where is the value of offline bank branches?
How to realize the transformation and development of outlets and improve service quality and efficiency?
The reporter conducted an investigation and interview.
Is the bank branch still important?
Bank branches still play an important role in serving specific groups of people and regions and handling non-standardized services
Why has the number of bank branch closures increased?
According to a number of bank managers, more and more consumers prefer online channels such as online banking and mobile banking, and the proportion of businesses that need to go to the counter of bank branches to be processed gradually decreases. The abolition of branches is mainly due to the small number of customers and low efficiency of the branches. And so on.
In terms of the total amount, as of the end of 2019, the total number of banking and financial institution outlets reached 228,000, and the actual abolition of outlets this year only accounts for a small percentage.
To meet the diverse financial service needs of the people, bank branches still play an important and irreplaceable role.
Uncle Lu, who lives in Shifosi Village, Yufa Town, Daxing District, Beijing, is over eighty years old and wants to save some savings regularly.
How many years of products are there?
What is the interest rate?
How much is the interest per year?
With doubts, he came to the Daxing Xinhangcheng branch of Ping An Bank not far from home.
After understanding Uncle Lu’s needs, the bank staff answered his questions one by one, clarifying the content of each level of regular interest rate and how much interest can be earned each year, listing them in a table, and then explaining them in detail.
While listening to the explanation and looking at the form, Uncle Lu chose a fixed deposit that suits him.
"Or you guys can make it clear. If you let me figure it out, I can't figure it out." Uncle Lu was very happy. "Besides, I am old and it is not convenient to use a self-service cash machine to save money. I have the assistance of branch staff. Much more practical."
Aunt Hai runs a small shop on Yabao Road in Chaoyang District, Beijing. She goes to bank branches to handle change exchange and other services every month.
"Many customers choose to pay in cash. If there is too much change or lack of change, they have to go to the branch to exchange it."
Sun Anqin, vice president of Ping An Bank Beijing Branch, said that from the perspective of service targets, for some elderly people who are not suitable for online banking, or other customers who are not good at doing business online, the bank relies on physical branches. Can provide them with more thoughtful service.
In terms of business types, for some non-standardized businesses, offline outlets still play an irreplaceable role.
"For example, for service needs such as financial consulting for private banking customers, wealth management managers need to communicate face-to-face with customers to meet their differentiated and individual needs. In addition, due to regulatory requirements and risk prevention needs, bank cards are opened, and companies open banks. Accounts and other services must also be handled at bank outlets." said Shen Chunhua, general manager of the channel management department of Everbright Bank.
"In the past, bank branches provided customers with a large number of transaction-related financial services. With the development of online channels and self-service channels, branch transaction attributes were gradually replaced. Now customers mainly come to branches due to complex transactions and compound needs. Bank branches provide even more services. Intuitive, flexible, user-friendly, and professional, it is still the main channel for banks to sell products and maintain customers." said Wang Haiquan, general manager of the Channel and Operation Management Department of Bank of China. About 100 million person-times, it shows that outlet channels still play an important role.
From the perspective of regional distribution, the coverage of bank outlets is still increasing in areas with weak financial services such as "agriculture, rural areas and farmers".
As of the end of 2019, banking financial institutions have covered 166,300 administrative villages in 832 key counties for poverty alleviation and development through institutional branches, machine tool services, mobile services, etc., with a coverage rate of 99.3%.
Zeng Gang, deputy director of the National Finance and Development Laboratory of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that the sinking of bank outlets to the grassroots level has made up for financial shortcomings in rural areas and can exert positive social benefits.
At the same time, with the economic development in rural areas, the demand for financial services continues to increase, and there is a huge room for inclusive finance development, and banks themselves will also reap good economic benefits.
How to better transform and develop?
Many banks are actively exploring in improving service efficiency, expanding service content, and changing service methods
The industry generally believes that in the future, bank outlets will still occupy an important position in people's lives, and banks will rationally adjust their outlet layout based on actual operating conditions and local service needs.
The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission clearly stated that before branch offices change their business premises, banking financial institutions should conduct adequate research on the financial market structure and financial service supply and demand in the new and original locations to avoid creating gaps in financial services.
How to transform bank branches?
The reporter learned from the investigation that many banks are actively exploring in improving service efficiency, expanding service content, and changing service methods.
Intelligent, service quality and efficiency are higher——
Opening a bank account for a company used to be a very tedious task.
Preparing a lot of materials, queuing at the bank, filling out a lot of forms, and stamping a lot of official seals... it often takes a whole day.
Everbright Bank's Sunshine E account opening system was developed and launched, helping customers solve these problems.
“Online appointment application for account opening, industrial and commercial data system filling, electronic seal and other processes are optimized, which greatly saves the time for opening an account.” said Sun Jihua, the financial officer of an enterprise, and it only took 40 minutes from entering the bank to completing the account opening. "Much faster than I expected."
In recent years, the intelligent transformation of bank outlets has been in full swing.
You can withdraw money without a bank card and with your mobile phone; the whole money can be deposited together with the change, and the self-service equipment can also be processed; bank cards can be quickly exchanged with the same number... A variety of intelligent services continue to improve the customer experience of bank branches.
Industry insiders believe that making full use of technological means, developing intelligent equipment and tools, and upgrading offline outlets will improve the efficiency and quality of outlet services.
At the same time, the machine replaces manual labor to complete some tedious procedures, which will help more staff get out of the counter and provide accurate services according to the differentiated needs of customers.
Integration and introduction of diverse services——
While advancing intelligence, bank branches are also focusing on integrating into demand scenarios, expanding service content, and giving full play to service functions.
"Everbright Bank actively promotes the comprehensive transformation of bank branch services, and provides branch cultural services, tourism consulting, health management and other functions." Shen Chunhua said, Everbright Bank Guangzhou Yuexiu Branch, as the host bank of Guangzhou medical insurance business, has an average daily passenger flow of approximately 500 people, much higher than the bank average.
Currently, the branch serves more than 10 million medical insurance customers.
The Bank of China Guangzhou Lujiang Sub-branch cooperated with the local library to open up special reading areas at the outlets, and the books can be borrowed and returned at the outlets.
In the Jiefangbei business district, a tourist hot spot in Chongqing, Chongqing Jiefangbei Branch of Ping An Bank has launched cultural and creative products and will also introduce reading corners.
Some rural bank outlets can also provide services such as express delivery and delivery.
"In the future, the surplus space of outlets can be diversified and transformed into places for customer consultation and exchange, shared learning, shared office, and community activities," said Wang Haiquan.
Be more proactive and go out of banking services——
Not long ago, the Huashang College of Guangdong University of Finance and Economics ushered in the opening season.
The staff of Bank of China Guangdong Zengcheng Sub-branch brought five mobile smart counters to the school to provide on-site financial services for teachers and students.
Teacher Huang from the school said that in the past, you had to go to bank branches to open a card and mobile banking. Now the bank provides door-to-door services, which can be completed in just a few minutes.
"With technical support, banking service equipment is smarter and more portable, and it is possible to take it out, so that customers can enjoy more convenient financial services." Wang Haiquan said.
In order to allow people in mountainous areas to enjoy fuller financial services, Fujian is exploring the business model of "backpack banking".
"The bank account manager carries a backpack, packs up equipment and enters the village to promote financial services door-to-door." The person in charge of the Fuzhou Central Branch of the People's Bank of China said that the "backpack bank" sent loans to the countryside and sent funds to the people "in time."
How to collaborate online and offline?
Online business and offline outlets complement each other's advantages and integrate development, and continuously improve the efficiency of financial services
For banks, handling the relationship between online and offline business is an important issue that needs to be faced at the moment.
Zeng Gang believes that the rapid development of online business will not replace the important role of bank branches.
In the future, online business and offline outlets will complement each other's advantages and integrate development, and continuously improve the efficiency of financial services.
The coordinated development of online and offline can make business handling more convenient.
In the past, the counting and identification of foreign currency banknotes had to be completed under the witness of customers. The staff of the outlets needed to complete a series of processes such as customer identity verification, cash withdrawal limit verification, deduction and withdrawal, external management information registration, and banknote counting. It often takes more than half an hour.
Now, Bank of China has launched foreign currency smart withdrawal. Customers can choose mobile banking, micro-banking and other online channels to make an appointment to withdraw foreign currency cash. The back-office vault will receive the order information immediately and will configure the foreign currency cash according to customer needs, seal it in a standard envelope, and send it. Reach the reservation outlet.
After the customer arrives at the store offline, there is no need to line up to pick up the number, and can go directly to the smart counter to handle it in just one or two minutes.
Online and offline coordinated development can provide customers with more choices.
"When issuing income certificates, asset certificates and other materials, customers can flexibly choose the method of processing according to their own needs. If customers do not have time to go to the bank branch, they can apply online and send the certificate to the customer; if the customer needs to use it or needs an on-site seal , You can also go to the outlets to quickly apply and receive it on the spot." Sun Anqin said.
"The rapid development of online business has a great role in promoting the transformation and upgrading of bank branches." Wang Haiquan said. On the one hand, online business can effectively divert the standardized business of previous branches, so that branch manpower can be more professional. , More personalized services; On the other hand, the development of online business is conducive to improving user experience, increasing customer stickiness, enhancing brand influence, and better promoting offline business development.
Industry insiders believe that no matter which channel the customer accesses from online or offline, customers must experience an undifferentiated and integrated service experience.
And through the integration of online and offline business development, increasing data sharing, and combining big data, artificial intelligence and other technical means, it is conducive to building a more complete and three-dimensional customer portrait and achieving accurate and caring services.