h a l f b a k e r yPoint of hors d'oevre
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Café Banco
"A double-frappin-mochacchino extra-tall frothy with a 3.5% interest-rate mortgage please" | |
Walk into any branch of the Café Banco and have a seat at one of the small tables adorned with sugar and cream dispensers, blank transaction slips and a chained pen that probably doesn't work. Within half a minute a waiter/teller will be with you, networked xPad in hand, ready to take your order for
an espresso, Earl Grey or cuppa Joe, and what will your banking needs be today ?
Most of the waitpersons are just ordinary tellers so, while performing the initial triage, if it turns out you need a loan or a new interac card they call over the person you need to talk to (or text them if they're already occupado) while getting your drink order, if you have one; otherwise they'll continue to assist you and other customers with their transactions
At peak times the sign says "Banking Customers Only", enforced by the security guard; at other times, they can actually make a few bucks selling coffee to passers-by or, if unlicensed, strongly suggest an equitable donation to whatever charity the bank is promoting this week, while soliciting potential new customers with free coffee.
It does require a strong organizational system of course, but technology can lighten the load a bit: a CCTV recording system worthy of a casino, careful passive and active sound dampening so you don't inadvertently eavesdrop on the neighbouring table's money matters, and networked multi-function tablets for all.
(dedicated to a chirpy young teller who, much too early this morning, pointed out that the bank had complimentary coffee on a table in the corner for customers, that I could avail myself of after I had finished the transactions. This earned her a mock glare from yours truly especially since I was already holding a cup. I then held her hostage while promoting this idea)
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Shirley a mockachino? Just came from the bank. [+] |
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A long time ago I developed the ability to stand immobile, or near so (as in a slow-moving queue), while in an almost completely vegetative state (ie: before 10am), for long periods of time, but it only works if I'm holding a drinkably hot cup of coffee. |
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It doesn't make me look any more awake than I actually am though. She was too cheerful for me to take her comment as anything but innocuous or friendly. |
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This is kind of how i thought banks used to be, isn't it? Maybe i'm remembering it wrongly, but i seem to remember some kind of financial institution started off as a coffee house. Besides that though, yes, it's good, but i'm aware that my bank has no business banking people you can actually talk to face to face. You have to 'phone them and they're based in an office in the NW somewhere. I imagine that other banks are also like this. Sorry, it is a minor detail but i have a feeling that a personal business advisor you can actually meet is a thing of the past. |
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I'm not even sure what a "personal business advisor" is,though it does sound rather nasty. Over here investment houses and financial services aren't necessarily connected to a regular bank, and the ones that are, their higher-level services aren't always found in a neighbourhood bank branch (outlet). |
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Note of course that you don't _have to_ have a coffee - bottled water or nothing is fine. |
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The thing about this system is that, thanks to a bit of multitasking on the part of the waitellers, they don't have to stand there, thumb up, while the client fishes into their bag for something or counts the money (cctv, remember): the staff can just go to a new arrival and perform a quick triage and take their order. Since tellers don't have their own cash-drawer these days, treating the head-cashier's office as an advanced ATM, they're free to walk around. The reintroduction of (optional use) transaction slips streamlines things even further for both bank and customer. |
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In other words, though you wouldn't think so, it's actually more efficient from a time-management perspective than either the uniqueue or dedicated-queueing system. |
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