Ask HN: How can banks improve their branches?

Give a few branches reverse banking hours. Don't open until 3pm and close at 8 or 9pm.

The biggest complaint I repeatedly hear is that banks aren't open when people get out of work. Some banks try to solve this by staying open later, but that's taxing on the branch. If they open later then they won't have to stay open as long to serve that group of customers.

I switched to an online+phone-only bank because my local bank branch wasn't open when I wasn't at work, and the next nearest branch wasn't open after noon on Saturday. I figured, why (effectively) pay for the convenience of a building I can never use? So make sure your branches are open when people want to use them.

The only real complaint I have about bank branches is the long wait times, seemingly at all hours of the day. My credit union has recently started providing an express line in addition to the regular line. If you're there for a relatively quick transaction (e.g. simple deposits or withdrawals) you can jump in that line and get finished much more quickly.

Let the customers know in advance if you're going to need something weird. Publish a list somewhere.

For example, if a customer wants a loan, publish a list of exactly what ID is accepted. Make sure the list is accurate otherwise it will be useless. Does a driving license count? Sometimes? Always? Never? Be specific.

clickable: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1906251

I'm from Asia, not sure if the bank and ATM operate the same. Here's my thoughts about what I like.

- We dun normally go to the bank. Most of the ATM serve us well with the deposit/withdrawal/application of services, etc. Think about the current offerings of the bank which can be moved to the ATMs, internet, etc.

- We do need to go to the bank when there is a sense of urgency to get things done. E.g. loans, lost of cards, etc. All the touch points if handled well by the bank can really improve the customer service level.

Think emotion = help = love.

But after last financial crisis, not sure if they do trust the bank this much now.

Enable me to do everything online. My bank is scared of letting me do things online like changing my address. Everything I can do in a branch I should be able to do in person-including talking to people (this can be achieved via webchat),

Eliminate the branch and let me do everything online / by phone. Reduce costs for the bank and give me better interest rates.

This is small and sort of outside the context of what you were looking for; but especially for branches that generally have waits, having a queue/line in the middle of the room laid out by ropes is the slightest bit unsettling. It would be nice to have something to lean on.

A local branch of one of the banks around here has a coin counting machine that does not charge a fee; even for non-members. This is really really awesome.

I have done a couple largish transactions that make me feel uncomfortable; when the teller is counting out 'one thousand, two thousand..' It would be nice to have a separate queue for a more private consultation with a teller, even if it included longer wait times.

Beyond that; the very best thing to do, and it's hard or impossible for large banks and branches is just have a real emphasis on customer service. I do most of my banking online; but I have a small local bank I use for some things, and it is so so nice to walk in, have some beautiful girl smile at me, remember my name and not ask for ID.