The Changing Customer Interface of Retail Banking in New Zealand

Self-service technology is challenging the traditional concept of provider-client interaction in the retail banking industry. Following a review of the literature, this paper discusses the experts' opinions of the role of self-service technologies and human bank staff in New Zealand retail banking to the years 2000 and 2010. These opinions were identified through a Delphi study held with leading executives from various sectors of the economy. The research indicated that in the future utilisation of home banking by television will be limited to a specific and small market segment. Home banking by personal computer will be relatively more widespread, although it is unlikely to be used by more than twenty per cent of the banking population. Home banking by automated telephone service will be more widespread still, yet acceptance is unlikely to be greater than thirty per cent of the banking population. ‘Staffless branches’ (which are staffed predominately by self-service technology) will be available in all main city centres before the turn of the century. Automatic Telling Machines (ATMs) will be the most utilised self-service technology in the future. Due to the increased use of self-service technologies, especially ATMs, the use of human bank tellers will gradually fall over the next twenty years. As a result, human bank tellers will be freed-up from normal transactional duties, and will become more involved in customer service and selling.