DUBLIN: Need to learn your bank balance or find out what the last three transactions on your account were? Well, if you’re a Bank of Ireland customer you will no longer be able to ask an employee of the bank these questions over the phone, as the bank seeks to pare back the services it offers over the phone and switch customers to automated or digital channels.
The migration is part of the bank’s strategy of focusing on innovative digital offerings, but may be of concern to some customers who feel more comfortable speaking with a person. From February 13th, customers of Bank of Ireland will be unable to phone their local branch or the bank’s call centre for everyday banking inquiries. The bank, which is still 14 per cent owned by the state, has begun informing telephone callers to its phone lines that as of this date, branches and call centres will no longer be able to handle queries related to standard balance and transactions; coin orders; and foreign currency orders.
According to a spokeswoman for Bank of Ireland, customers contacting a branch looking for standard balance checks (i.e. what is my balance?) and transaction information, as well as looking to order foreign currency, will instead be redirected either to the phone self-service option, where they can find out the information they need through an automated service, or to the bank’s personal banking website, ‘365 online’. “More complex account-related queries will still be facilitated through the call-centre,” the bank said, adding that “vulnerable and elderly customers” will be able to call through to speak with an employee as usual.
