Barclays launches face-to-face video banking

Barclays is launching a face-to-face video banking service.

The new facility will allow customers to carry out a video call with a bank employee from their smartphone, tablet or computer. The 24/7 service will be available from the 8th December for Premier customers and will then be rolled out to business, mortgage and wealth customers, from early 2015.

After that it will be made available to all retail customers, automatically matching customers to a specific member of staff they have spoken to previously, if possible.

Barclays’ personal banking chief executive officer, Steven Cooper, comments: “This is a watershed moment for the way people do their banking in the UK – where we will finally be able to interact with customers completely on their terms, rather than ours.

“While many of our customers are increasingly using digital channels to complete routine transactions, for the important moments, you just can’t beat face to face conversations, yet traditional branch opening hours don’t always give customers that choice.”