Natwest has enlisted the help of Qudini to roll out techology that allows its customers to book appointments at times that suit them.
The platform means staff can book appointments for customers and then the customers can amend or cancel them on their mobile if they're not convenient.
The software was deployed in January and Natwest explained that since then, there's been a 70% rise in the number of people booking appointments using its NatWest Community Banker service.
"Customers love the ability to book an appointment online and being kept up to date on that appointment via text message," Michael Burrows, MD Personal Banking North and Telephony Service said. "This technology allows customers to work their banking needs around their day to day lives and busy schedules. We are helping more customers at first point of contact than ever before, which is great for customers and the Bank."
Qudini is also being used to power Natwest's telephone booking service, enabling customers to book and find out more about services such as loans and mortgages. This tool has resulted in a 28% reduction in missed appointments.
"Since the introduction of Qudini, the in-branch customer journey has completely transformed. At peak times, customers are able to leave the branch, continue their day and return when they are next in line to be served," Annamaria Jatta, innovations lead at Natwest said. "Working with Qudini has been excellent and straightforward. We have a clear plan and we focus on testing, learning and improving customer experience together."
Another benefit is that customers are always provided with information about waiting times, meaning they can either stay in-branch to see an advisor if their schedule allows or they can arrange to meet a customer service advisor later on when it's convenient for them.
Imogen Wethered, CEO and co-founder of Qudini added: "We'd always expected that financial services could be slow. But Natwest have been so fast, clear in their plans and very innovative to work with."
Once again, this serves as an example of how digital services are being adopted across older and established businesses in order to drive efficiency and boost operations, especially the delivery of services to clients or customers.
