FNB has opened the doors of its seventh dotFNB branch, in the heart of the Johannesburg CBD, at the FNB Bank City Precinct.
After the first dotFNB branch opened in April 2012, the expansion of the dotFNB national footprint rolled out six branches since, the latest of which is located in Cavendish Square, Cape Town. dotFNB celebrated its first birthday in Johannesburg, by opening another branch at the end of April 2013 in the heart of FNB’s Bankcity Precinct – representing FNB’s support of Johannesburg’s inner-city rejuvenation.
Several projects have been undertaken over the past few years in Johannesburg CBD, making the city a dynamic place, which in recent years, has attracted new residential developments, businesses and a growing cosmopolitan resident population.
“Johannesburg is not only seeing a growth in cosmopolitan residents, but has become a weekend playground where people gather at rooftop markets, theatres and downtown bioscope experiences. The BankCity dotFNB provides a touch point for FNB to widen its reach of those exposed to how technology and innovation, coupled with the FNB product and service offering, can simplify banking,” says Kim Gibson-Van der Walt, head of dotFNB, FNB Banking Channels.
The dotFNB cashless branch is a virtual environment that incorporates unique mechanisms never before been seen in branches such as augmented reality.
Smart device pods showcase the latest smartphones and tablets available through FNB and accessory stands provide a range of options for all devices in store. Interactive surfaces incorporated into all dotFNB branches contain savings and eBucks calculators as well as a share swarm and FNB Connect training videos.
According to research conducted by Demacon Market Studies, there is an estimated 8 704 formal businesses within the Johannesburg inner city and over 800 000 commuters passing through the inner city every day. This as well as the fact that over 90% of these people have cell phones and 44% use e-mail, makes it an ideal area to introduce the dotFNB concept.
“Given the momentum that digital self-service banking has gathered over the last few years, the customer experience has become an even more important element in our business and the move towards greater service and product delivery is enabled via our digital channels,” says Gibson-Van der Walt.
Visitors can sit alongside dotFNB bankers to switch to FNB, discuss their banking portfolio and eBucks earnings, choose a device and get step-by-step guidance on setting up and using FNB Banking platforms such as the FNB Banking App. Customers can also switch to FNB in store and educate themselves on how best to use digital platforms to simplify their banking experience.
“We are living in a digital era and see digital banking as a crucial element for FNB’s future success and anytime, anywhere convenient banking for our customers. dotFNB allows us a platform to bring FNB’s digital lifestyle offering to the heart of Jozi,” Gibson-Van der Walt says.