Standard Bank launches Generation 8 branches

Generation 8 branch in Bedford Centre, Bedfordview

However, Standard Bank believes that there is still a place for traditional banking services with walk-in branches, but agrees that these services need to provide a new generation of services that give positive, smart, value-added experiences to "connected" customers.

"Branches are still vital for interacting with our customers and developing long-term human relationships," said Hannah Sadiki, head of customer channels of Standard Bank. "So we've created a banking experience that will deliver on their expectations, improve their interaction with our staff and provide enhanced value-added services in-branch for them to interface with while they wait."

Standard Bank has launched its new Generation 8 branches to deliver banking value by bringing physical banking into the future. "Gen 8" branches are being rolled out in selected markets with new technology and a new look and feel based on updated branch layout principles.

Perceived as cold, impersonal and boring

"In the past, in many cases, bank branches didn't give priority to client experience with the result that they are perceived as cold, impersonal and boring," said Sadiki. "Architectural design is an evolving art with new insights about how clients perceive and interact with their environments, and part of our vision for our new branches is to create a design that looks, feels and behaves more like a premium retail store than a traditional bank."

The first Gen 8 branches are already operational at Woodlands Boulevard in Pretoria and Bedford Centre in Bedfordview. The Alice Lane Branch in Sandton, The Gen 8 branches at the V&A Waterfront and Constantia Village, both in Cape Town, are due to open this month. Another three will be open by the end of this year, and an additional two to three next year.

The Gen 8 branches have a number of value added features: