HSBC has announced it will provide free wifi to customers in 650 UK branches, through BT.

The move comes as research by BT and Avaya2 revealed that almost half (49%) of UK banking customers felt that free wifi would greatly improve their branch experience.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

The UK banking industry’s branch network has continued to shrink over recent years as customers are diverted on to digital channels to cut costs.

The move to support branch wifi suggests a push towards further self service channels at the bank.

HSBC customers can download the banks mobile banking app in store and be guided through how to use it by staff.

While existing customers are able to try out the app in store, UK banks have yet to offer any kind of mobile banking trial to potential customers.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Carl Howard, head of digital for HSBC in the UK said: "We’ve been listening to our customers about how we can make banking easier for them, and they tell us they like the idea of mobile banking, but in some cases would value being shown how it works.

"Our branch staff can now demo our mobile banking app in branch to get people started, as well as demonstrating new features such as the new mobile payment service Paym which allows customers to pay their contacts using just a mobile number."

HSBC recently announced it had seen over £2bn ($3.4bn) of payments and transfers made on its mobile banking app, as well as over one million log ons each week.

 

Related articles:

HSBC agrees to divest Pakistani operations to Meezan Bank

CaixaBank launches Facebook banking app

Customer awareness a barrier to mobile banking – BuzzCity