The Machine Revolution Is Coming!
We all know self-service is going in supermarkets and other large stores, with the move being made to banks, is any ‘behind the counter’ job safe? This is another thought piece on an unexpected experience when going to the bank — exciting, I know!
Having just passed a milestone birthday, I had the traditional few cheques and £10 notes to pay in from distant aunties that send a timely birthday wish in the post. I am certainly comfortable with going into a bank and speaking to the cashier about their day whilst they process my deposit — I was quite looking forward to chatting to someone in fact. But when I happily walked into the Barclays branch at Canary Wharf, I could not see any smiling faces behind the counter; I couldn’t even see the counter! Instead, I was faced with a handful of self-service monster machines. Embracing this change I took the step forward to begin my banking transaction.
The self-service stations presented all the options you’d expect to find within a bank. I didn’t have need to scroll though them but the comprehensive list seemed to cover all my banking needs. Barclays have obviously thought a lot about UX in the design on their system for these touch screen devices. The design and feel between the mobile apps, online banking and now in-store experiences seem to flow smoothly, with no hidden surprises or overly confusing menus. To be honest, I was quite excited by the prospect of feeding my money and cheques into the machine. Simple on screen instructions guided me through scanning in a check and counting my money, topped off with a selection of security (login) methods depending where and when you’d like to deposit the money.
I have always been apprehensive of using the small envelopes to pay in my cheques, as there is no confirmation to say that I have done it correctly. I would quite like the little green tick to appear on the paper once I have filled in the right information, and the trusty red asterisk to ensure I get everything I need. But now with the computer tell me everything is okay, I feel much more comfortable.
Some advanced tech being used to ‘make our lives easier’ is always going to ruffle a few feathers, but in writing this I really can’t ignore where those smiley happy cashiers have gone. The truth is, I don’t know. I’d like to think they are now working elsewhere for the bank, in customer services or elsewhere in store. However, it is hard to say, with these self-service machines threatening some basic customer service jobs, I can’t help but feel it’s a bad thing — only time will tell.
Originally posed October 2015: https://lnkd.in/dvrBSG3
