身边的银行网点会消失吗

——银行业服务终端模式调整升级情况调查 

　　本报记者 王宝会

　　你有多久没有去过银行网点了？近年来，不少人感觉到家门口的银行网点、ATM机在减少。银行网点里大多是老年人在排队、办理业务，很少看到年轻人的身影。网点“消亡论”“关停潮”的声音引起市场关注。是因为目前线上办理业务的途径太方便，还是另有原因？当前的银行网点面临哪些困难？作出了哪些调整？未来的路在何方？经济日报记者日前深入国有大行、城商行等银行物理网点展开调查。

　　帮助客户存取款、办理理财……这些业务对于南京银行南京城西支行大堂的张睿来说再熟悉不过了，这是他每天主要的工作内容。

　　入职5年来，他的工作时间是从早晨8点半到下午5点，一天算下来平均接待约50位客户，其中70%是中老年人，办理的大多是存取款、存单和理财等业务。“已经很少在网点看到年轻人了！”张睿感慨。

　　记者在银行网点调查发现，一方面是年轻人鲜少去，老年人热衷去；另一方面是柜台窗口压缩与裁撤合并部分网点。物理网点陷入尴尬局面的背后，究竟发生了什么？记者进入银行网点寻求答案。

　电子渠道分流是主因

　　哪些业务必须去银行物理网点办理呢？兴业银行相关负责人告诉记者，目前大额现金支取、储蓄卡挂失补卡、打印银行流水明细等业务需要本人携带证件去网点办理，其他简单的业务在线上即可办理。

　　近年来，电子渠道交易额快速增长。银行业金融机构离柜交易量逐年增多。随着支付渠道变得多元，手机银行对线下客源大量分流。在北京市海淀区嘉豪国际商圈附近的城商行网点，记者与刚办完业务的张丽聊了起来。“90后”的张丽从事教育工作，读大学时还偶尔去网点，“但是现在，差不多有两年没来网点了。这次因为要补充银行卡信息，需要在网点认证，才又跑了过来”。

　　张丽说，自从她把开通网银功能的银行卡绑定微信、支付宝等后，用手机付款非常方便，很少去物理网点了。通过手机银行APP就可以实时查看余额、转账和工资等情况，甚至完全可以在线上购买理财，不用跑腿，非常省心。

　　光大银行金融市场部宏观研究员周茂华表示，由于国内信息技术发展、数字基础设施不断完善与智能手机普及，投资理财、转账支付等金融业务线上化明显加速发展。尤其是青年群体偏好个性化、场景体验式金融服务需求，更愿意选择在线上处理金融业务。

　　工商银行北京金融街智慧银行旗舰店业务负责人说，工行手机银行7.0版发布后，服务更便捷。通过手机银行即可使用查询账户余额、转账汇款、扫码取款等功能，为客户提供7×24小时的贴心智能服务。

　　目前，工商银行、邮储银行、建设银行等大行，都在加速完善数字化平台建设，着力提升微信小程序、手机银行APP等线上业务效率，强化手机端在线申请贷款办理等“一站式”服务。

　　此外，新冠肺炎疫情进一步推动了“非接触式”金融服务需求增长，银行纷纷加快线上金融产品创新及业务数字化升级，这些因素驱动着银行重新定位物理网点布局。

　适老化服务大有可为

　　在电子渠道没有畅通的年代，每个人的生活与银行物理网点联系紧密。如今，线上金融服务的出现给银行物理网点服务场景带来了巨大改变。许多城市去银行网点办理业务的人越来越少，柜台窗口也越开越少，但需要看到的是仍有很多老年人选择去窗口办业务。

　　老年人选择物理网点的原因主要有两点：一是不会用手机银行，不放心自己的操作。年轻时没赶上数字化大潮，现在学起来很吃力，遇到问题一般就来网点向银行工作人员求助。二是钱拿在自己手里更安心。一部分老年人习惯使用存折，因为能看清楚每笔交易和余额，心里有底。

　　记者在采访中发现，银行网点围绕老年客群服务的堵点主要有三：其一，在一些城市的老城区网点，居住的老人相对集中，每月的25日、26日，有大量客户涌入网点支取养老金，这是网点需要集中力量应对的难题；其二，在一些网点周边集中居住着很多残疾职工，为他们提供金融服务难度更大；其三，部分网点适老化硬件设施亟需完善，比如无障碍坡道未建设或建设不规范、大堂引导人员不够、适老温馨提示不到位等。

　　随着我国老龄化进程的加快，物理网点未来将会承接更多老年客群，如何提升网点服务质效，帮助老年人跨越“数字鸿沟”，是银行物理网点必须解决的问题。

　　针对这些问题，银行已经行动起来，不断寻找解决办法，多家银行网点已经对老年客户金融服务从服务标识、设备设施、服务规范、金融宣教等方面实施改造。建设银行云南省分行官渡支行营业室营运主管王琢介绍，针对老年客户偏好使用存折办理业务的情况，他们通过自助柜员机“刷脸取款”功能，指导老年客户将首选账户更改为存折，便于在自助柜员机办理现金取款。针对老年客户集中办理业务的高峰时段，制定错峰、预约办理措施，并在网点醒目位置公布为老年人优先办理业务的时段。在邮储银行北京香山支行、工商银行北京金融街智慧银行旗舰店等网点，记者看到在网点里较明显位置摆放着多台智能机器，大部分老年人在大堂工作人员手把手的指导下进行操作。

　　适老化工作还需关爱特殊老年群体。建设银行北京分行为乘坐轮椅的老年客户推出坐式智慧柜员机，网点工作人员和老年客户对面而坐，分屏同步指导，既规避了代客操作风险，又保护了老年客户的隐私安全。邮储银行北京香山支行行长胡滨告诉记者，为服务好网点周边听力障碍客户，10年来该支行员工坚持学习和提供手语服务，拉近与听力障碍客户之间的距离。

　　专家表示，针对老年人不会用、不敢用智能服务设备等情况，非常有必要帮助老年人摆脱年龄束缚，引导老年人融入数字金融。此外，金融机构要优化用户注册、银行卡绑定和支付流程，让老年人使用起来更便捷。

　　不少网点工作人员告诉记者，不同年龄阶段的老年人，金融需求是不同的。比如60岁至70岁的老年人并不排斥智能化服务，只是缺少知晓智能应用的方式和途径，经过指导基本能够自助操作；70岁以上的大多数老年人倾向于在柜面办理业务，他们担心使用智能设备被骗。“这时候网点工作人员就会向老人耐心讲解，提示其要看清楚使用的软件是否为银行的官方软件，再结合反诈骗相关内容疏导老人的紧张心情，让老年人习惯接受智能金融服务。”兴业银行有关负责人表示。

　　At present, large state-owned banks, city commercial banks, and rural commercial banks are all actively implementing aging-appropriate reforms, strengthening outlet service management from the perspective of customers and industries, and improving outlets' aging-appropriate services in a targeted manner.

For example, the Postal Savings Bank relies on nearly 40,000 branches in urban and rural areas. On the basis of investigating the difficulties and pain points of elderly customers in using intelligent technology, the mobile banking terminal has added functions such as voice transfer.

For another example, ICBC has strengthened its services for the elderly and added a love window. From scanning the health code at the door to using the smart teller machine, there are lobby staff to assist the elderly throughout the process.

There are also some city commercial banks based on localized characteristics. For example, Bank of Nanjing has carried out precise services by providing financial door-to-door services for elderly customers and setting up service teams to enhance their brand influence.

　　"No one taught me before, but now the branch staff has taught me, which is much more convenient." Many elderly people told reporters like this.

"For elderly customers, the counter service is simplified, and the processing efficiency is higher." Many branch staff have a deep understanding, record the suggestions and experiences of the elderly, and find ways to improve, in order to continuously improve the image of the bank branch among the elderly customers. .

　　Network adjustment will be normalized

　　Currently, two phenomena concerning physical outlets deserve attention.

The first is a drop in totals.

The latest data disclosed in the China Banking Service Report shows that the total number of business outlets of banking financial institutions nationwide has dropped from 228,700 to 226,700 from the end of 2017 to the end of 2020.

There are also ATM machines that have been reduced along with the network.

The second is the decrease and increase.

According to the statistics released by the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, more than 1,000 domestic bank branches will be abolished in 2021, and more than 1,000 bank branches will be approved to open.

　　In this regard, Zhou Maohua believes that while some outlets are closed and some new outlets are opened, the physical outlets have not been significantly reduced in general, and there will be no "shutdown tide".

If the profitability of some branches continues to fail to cover the cost, and there is no advantage in acquiring customers, they may be abolished or merged with other branches. This is a normal market-oriented behavior, and the adjustment of bank branches will become normal in the future.

　　Mobile payment is prevalent, and financial services are everywhere. No one would believe that outlets are not in a crisis.

Lou Feipeng, a researcher at the Postal Savings Bank, suggested that the adjustment and optimization of outlets should be based on the characteristics of the bank.

Different types of banks can, according to their own actual conditions, reduce the operating costs of branches and improve the quality of various services by optimizing the spatial layout structure of branches, promoting the digital transformation of branches, and appropriately withdrawing and merging inefficient branches.

　　Lou Feipeng said that at present, although the cost of branch channels is higher than that of online channels, branches are the main channel for face-to-face communication between banks and customers and an important factor in maintaining customer relationships. Fintech cannot completely replace branches. Not all outlets are expected to disappear in the long run.

　　Although outlets have a long-term existence value, it does not mean that they can be immutable, and a new positioning of their value meaning is required.

First, offline services are less convenient than online services, but there are manual review and machine identification processes in business processing, and financial risk prevention is "double insurance".

Second, outlets can be used as a channel for product promotion and brand value enhancement, increasing the actual value of the bank itself.

Third, outlets no longer provide simple financial services, but also need to continuously superimpose functions according to changes in the surrounding ecological environment, such as coffee banks, bookstore banks, and green banks.

　　In the future, how will the bank branch go?

Experts suggest that, first of all, a more scientific network evaluation mechanism should be established, and the evaluation of the network should be changed internally.

Not only should pay attention to operating income, profit, etc., but also pay attention to the intangible value of outlets.

Secondly, from a systematic and forward-looking perspective, moderately control the number of outlets, do a good job in the planning and layout of outlets, and implement refined and differentiated management of different outlets in terms of functional positioning and resource allocation.

Finally, it will promote the transformation of outlets from settlement transactions to marketing and experience services that meet the diverse financial needs of customers, so as to provide customers with "one-stop" services.

　　"In the future, banks must be deeply online, but online is not a panacea. Online channels often face some inherent shortcomings that are difficult to overcome." Chen Jinguang, vice president of Industrial Bank, said, "Although people's consumption habits are constantly changing , but the basic needs of human nature such as convenience, emotion, respect, etc. will not change, we must start from this point to create a 'warm' bank. Industrial Bank Smart Branches and Internet Banking, Mobile Banking, Direct Banking, WeChat Online channels such as banks have achieved interconnection and interoperability, and jointly established a huge service network that combines online and offline virtual reality, covers the whole country, and connects domestic and overseas.