About
i-bank pass is an application that provides an electronic ‘pass’ for performing transactions in the branch (select branch, issue electronic ticket, be notified to proceed to the branch in time), serving as the basis for the extension of the ease, speed and convenience of electronic applications to the physical world.
Innovation presentation
NBG is the 1st bank in the market to successfully address the single most important drawback in customer transaction servicing, i.e. waiting time for the cashier’s desk.
Greek Banks face significant transactional load due to the economy’s cash-bias, the servicing of state-related transactions and the concentration on specific days (e.g. pensions, tax payments).
For NBG, waiting time has long been the most important customer service challenge as a result of its extensive customer base and its respective share of transactions.
Inspired by ideas submitted by NBG’s personnel in the context of the annual internal “i-dea” innovation contest, NBG launched in May 2016 an innovative service called “i-bank pass” to enable the user (NBG customer or not) (a) to select the most convenient branch, based on real-time information on waiting time, (b) to remotely issue an electronic priority number for the cashier’s desk and (c) to be notified in order to proceed to the branch in time and perform their transaction without waiting.
The service was launched as a smartphone application and, from September 2016 on, is also offered through www.nbg.gr.
This service is expected to be utilized by 15-20% of branch customers by the end of 2017, thus achieving a respective reduction of in-branch waiting time and an overall enhancement of customer experience. Early results predict a success story. In brief:
- over 50k active downloads in the first 2 months,
- NPS 80% based on 2.300 user evaluations.
Uniqueness of the project
i-bank pass is a disruptive innovation, as it makes a significant step in extending the benefits of electronic applications to the physical world, and, vice-versa, it virtually “extends” services offered only at the branch and provides access to them through the customer’s mobile devices. It is the basis for further integration of physical and electronic services, providing long-awaited solutions to customer service shortcomings.
It is the only application available in the Greek market (and probably at a broader scale) to provide:
• real-time information on waiting time per branch,
• issuing of electronic ticket to be serviced at the selected branch,
• electronic ticket monitoring (real time information on customers in queue and expected service time) and management (issue more tickets – up to 3 – for the same or a different branch, cancel ticket),
• continuous re-calculation of estimated service time and push notification in order to proceed to the branch in time,
• personalization features (favorite branches, ticket history) and service evaluation.
i-bank pass, along with other recent initiatives, places NBG in a leading position in the Greek market in terms of applying innovative technology to improve customer service through addressing everyday needs.
