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Ross McEwan promises 'smarter solutions' for RBS customers | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
The new chief executive of RBS, Ross McEwan, has promised fundamental changes in the bank's customer service. | |
He said the move was in response to "a seismic shift" in the way people use services, with a 30% drop in the number of branch transactions since 2010. | |
Mr McEwan said new technology would allow the bank to offer "smarter solutions" to its customers. | |
He also unveiled a £30m investment in the next generation of cash machines, being designed with NCR in Dundee. | |
The announcement was made at the annual Business in the Parliament conference, which tackles major issues facing Scottish businesses. | |
Mr McEwan said that a review of the entire RBS business was under way and that major changes will be made, including the introduction of new technology and a modernisation of customer service. | |
He told the conference: "Since 2010, branch transactions are down almost 30%. | |
"The world is changing dramatically and as we consider the radical change we have to make, we need to prepare for a future based on being there for customers on their terms and not on our terms." | |
The bank will invest £30m in "new-generation cash machines", offering a broader range of everyday banking facilities, and 24-hour self-service centres will be set up in busy centres such as Waverley railway station in Edinburgh. | |
The announcement is being seen as part of Mr McEwan's plan to refocus the bank's attention to its customers rather than its own internal problems. | |
He told delegates: "You may not agree with all the steps that we decide to take but I hope you have some sense today that our intentions are the absolute right ones and that we are focused on our customers." | |
Mr McEwan added that, despite the proposed changes, he would not risk the "safety and soundness" that he said his predecessor, Stephen Hester, built since the economic crisis began in 2008. | |
He said: "RBS was saved by the taxpayer at an enormous expense. We must never put this country in that position ever again. | |
"It's pretty clear to me that we have a very special obligation to the people of this country." |