The world has changed considerably from the days when customers put their best suit on to visit the bank manager. Today’s consumers are showing they are open to ideas, are flexible and are looking for innovation. Figures from technology research company Forrester indicate that 8% of a typical European bank’s interactions with customers occur through the bank’s call centre, 20% via the internet, 30% at the branch and 42% at the automatic teller machine (ATM).
Meanwhile, plastic cards – including bank cards – are widely used for non-cash payments in most developed countries. According to the UK payment association APACS, debit card purchases reached £3.4bn in 2003 and credit and charge card purchases reached £1.8bn. This compares with plastic card withdrawals at ATMs and branch counters of £2.5bn.
