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Barclays Video Nationwide

Barclays becomes first UK bank to embrace to face-to-face video banking in the home

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By Jessica Davies, News Editor

November 30, 2014 | 2 min read

Barclays has become the first UK bank to roll out a face-to-face video banking service letting customers communicate with employees from their mobiles, tablets or laptops.

The 24/7 service, which will launch on 8 December, will be available initally to premier account members, who will have the option to speak securely via a video call to a member of staff at any time of day via their own devices.

It will be extended to mortgage, business and wealth customers from early 2015, before being rolled out to all retail customers, and will automatically match customers to a specific member of staff they have spoken to previously, if available.

Barclays chief executive of Personal Banking Steven Cooper described the move as a “watershed moment for how people do their banking in the UK, aimed at “putting them in control” of their banking activity.

“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,” he said.

Other banks have made moves into video chat services, with Nationwide among those to have launched a branch-based video customer service that links customers with mortgage advisors at some of its branches.

However, this marks the first time a UK bank has brought a face-to-face video service into the home.

Barclays Video Banking will be available via iOS and Android devices.

Barclays Video Nationwide

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