Customers visiting branches of HSBC will now be able to get free WiFi access while they bank.
Provided by BT Wi-Fi, the hotspots will be available in over 650 branches in the UK, and customers will be able use the hotspots to test out HSBC’s mobile banking app before they download it themselves, with staff on hand to guide them through the features.
According to research by BT and Avaya, 49 per cent of UK banking customers felt that free WiFi would greatly improve their in-branch experience.
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.”
The bank said that it had seen over £2 billion of payments and transfers made on its mobile banking app, as well as over one million log-ons each week.
The Paym service allows users to make financial transactions using a mobile number and is available across nine different banks and building societies.
HSBC isn’t the first bank to offer free WiFi – last year, Barclays launched free wireless internet access in its 1,600 branches.
Image: Flickr/Peter Broster
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