Bulgaria was a pilot country for a UniCredit project which demonstrates innovative solutions and higher customer satisfaction

The bank branch of UniCredit Bulbank located in Sofia Business Park, known as the first Bank Branch of the Future, is one of the most innovative bank solutions globally, presented in an article published by Reuters.

The first branch of the future opened doors in Sofia in March this year. The branch combines a large number of innovative solutions aimed at making the customer experience at the UniCredit Bulbank branch a useful and pleasant one. The Branch of the Future project was a top priority for UniCredit in Central and Eastern Europe and Bulgaria was chosen to be the pilot country for the first branch of this type.

UniCredit launched the Branch of the Future project to satisfy the needs of its customers that are looking for new technological solutions and convenience but still find that the contact with the banking advisors is indispensable.

“Installation art, interactive walls and a robot doorman; the flagship branches of the world's top banks have come a long way from the iron grilles and potted plants of old”, comments the journalist Lionel Laurent from Reuters as regards bank offices in the future across the world. According to him, the branches are still the first point of contact for many customers and are still the primary location for product sales like mortgages, new accounts and insurance, underlining the importance of upgrading them for a more tech-savvy generation.

The UniCredit branch in Sofia Business Park is full of innovations such as interactive walls, a modern queue management system, “welcoming scents” etc. If the customers have to wait at the branch, they can read the latest news on screens. In addition, customers have access to a self-service banking zone 24/7, equipped with machines for online banking, mobile banking, making deposits and withdrawals, payments of bills, etc. “After the branch revamp visits are up by an average of 60 percent while loans and deposits have doubled”, a UniCredit spokesperson has informed.

Besides the UniCredit branch in Sofia, the article presents innovations implemented by BNP Paribas in Paris, Deutsche Bank in Berlin and Barclays Bank in London. The article also tells about mobile applications in Asia that allow mobile users to transfer money to one another by physically "bumping" smartphones and about a new type of drive-through banking in Australia. Customers of the Washington D.C. branch of Carolina Premier Bank will soon find themselves face-to-face with a robot, which will greet visitors from November 15.

According to the article, some of the innovations which banks implement in the retail branches of the future to improve customer service will certainly prove efficient, while others are better left behind if customers do not find them useful.

The Branch of the Future in Bulgaria– innovations in steps:

An exterior which attracts attention – the purpose of the zone is to provoke the customer, to invite him or her to go inside the branch which is different from any other banking branch, through its:

- Large transparent glass walls which show the interior of the branch and what is happening there, thus making it accessible and inviting

- Exterior communication screens instead of the usual advertising posters which cover the windows;

- Communication using real customers of the bank instead of product commercials;

- Attractive night-time illumination and a distinctive logo, making the branch attractive by night as well;

- A combination of trendy materials and timber, giving a sense of both innovation and coziness.

Entering the branch – the moment of truth for the customer, when he or she crosses the threshold of the bank. At this moment the customer has to feel special - greeted, orientated on what to do next, to be assisted.

- Introduction of the customer manager role

- A self-service area, which has a full range of functionalities – a BNA, an online banking kiosk, an interactive wall. The area is available to customers 24 hours a day;

- A queue management system for those customers who continue their visit of the branch.

Orientation – facilitates the customer and creates a desire in him or her to continue the visit of the branch.

- An environment which suggests quick and easy orientation

- Creating a fast service zone at “the heart of the branch”:

o Open cash desks which enable a more direct communication between bank officers and customers;

o A zone with high tables for meetings between customers and bank officers, as well as between customers themselves.

Waiting – shows hospitality and presents the real-life banking concept of UniCredit

- Using the queue management system in order to offer customers calm waiting and exact navigation without keeping them standing;

- Customers can wait both on the special sofas and at the high tables in the quick zone;

- Screens showing the turn of each customer and interesting information – people can read RSS feeds with the topical news of the day, the weather forecast, etc.;

- Opportunity for use of free Wi-Fi;

- A tea and coffee vending machine and a pleasant environment with branch-specific scents and background music

Interaction with the bank – the primary aim is to bond with the customer and to build trust

- Dedicated areas and zones for meetings with customers and separate meeting rooms when confidentiality is needed

- Possibility for remote video consultations with experts from the head office – this is yet another way in which the customer can be saved time;

- Change of the branch manager position – from the bottom end to the center of the space.

Departure - the customer is accompanied to the exit of the branch and is invited to revisit

- Possibility for giving immediate feedback through voting with tokens.

More information for clients:

UniCredit Bulbank, Call Centre

Phone: 0700 1 84 84

More information for media:

UniCredit Bulbank, Identity & Communications Department

Viktoria Blajeva, Phone: + 359 2 9264 993, wjlj/ebwjepwbAvojdsfejuhspvq/ch

Ekaterina Ancheva, Phone: + 359 2 9264 963, flbufsjob/bodifwbAvojdsfejuhspvq/ch

Magdalena Ivanova, Phone: + 359 2 9232 528, nbhebmfob/jwbopwbAvojdsfejuhspvq/ch