Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/122153
forefront "While we are embracing many aspects of technology, Australians still want face-to-face interaction for life's 'big ticket' items." "Westpac customers have been at the forefront of the design of the Westpac banking app, which is among the first to be specifically developed by an Australian financial institution for use on the iPad. "As the demand for banking on smart phones and tablets grows, we will continue to innovate and enhance our offerings to meet the needs of our customers who are at the forefront of what we do." Mobile innovations are just the tip of the iceberg. Last December, Westpac started rolling out its Bank Now branches, which boast key customer initiatives including: • 24/7 self-service banking with 'smart' ATMs that accept deposits of cash, coins and cheques. • The Heart – a lounge-style area where customers can check their account balances, transfer money between accounts and pay bills using an iPad app on tablets provided. • Videoconferencing capability to access specialist advisers, planners and financial experts in other locations. • A service reception area where customers are welcomed by a staff member who, with colleagues, will handle simple enquiries and transactions at side-by-side computer pods. For comprehensive transactions previously conducted through screens, customers are now able to stand next to personal bankers who will undertake their business on Westpac's new computerised teller system named Spider. The state-of-the-art format is being rolled out across Westpac Retail and Business Banking's network of 680 branches with the first outlets already operating in Queensland and WA. Customer satisfaction Over at NAB, while internet banking figures are on a par with Westpac at around 25 per cent, mobile banking has grown by 250 per cent in the past 12 months. It's this dramatic spike that is making the financial institution sit up and take serious notice. "Our stores continue to be an important part of the banking mix, but the role of stores is changing as simple transactions are increasingly conducted 52 through other channels," says NAB executive general manager retail Vicki Carter. "Our stores will increasingly be where customers have broad conversations about their finances and future, rather than the transactional activities customers are increasingly choosing to do online via mobile banking. "We have had more than one million new customers join NAB since we broke up with the other banks in 2011. We now lead the other major banks in customer satisfaction." In January 2012, NAB launched its flagship new-design store at its Melbourne Docklands headquarters. Highlights include: • Free wi-fi. • A community zone. • Kids' zone. • Fun and interesting digital signage content. • User-friendly product and service information. • Great music. Since Docklands opened, a further five newdesign stores have been launched and NAB is progressively rolling out elements to the rest of its network. Face time In August 2010, ANZ launched its goMoney app, which had been used by more than 912,000 customers conducting more than $2 billion in transactions as at November 2012. "ANZ has seen a clear shift in the way customers bank with us. Internet banking and goMoney have been our fastest-growing customer channels for three years running, with logons to anz.com and goMoney growing 33 per cent since 2010. And the number of ANZ eStatements requested has almost quadrupled in the past three years, with record growth in 2012," says ANZ media and reputation advisor Victoria Kanevsky. However, Ms Kanevsky says a comprehensive survey conducted by ANZ through Newspoll reveals that while we are embracing many aspects of technology, Australians still want face-to-face interaction for life's 'big ticket' items.