If bankers are to be believed, the Irish are a conservative lot when it comes to their money.
Launderettes and cappuccinos are not top of their wish list when it comes to the facilities they would like to see on offer in their branches. Instead, they are more concerned about opening hours, queuing and convenience.
"Our understanding of the Irish consumer is that they are suspicious of anything they see as a gimmick. They want simple and easy-to-understand transactions provided on a consistent basis," says Mr Richie Boucher, regional director with Ulster Bank.
He admits, however, that banks can learn from some of the techniques employed by other retail outlets such as supermarkets when designing or changing branches.
The use of touch screens, having different sections for mortgage business, personal banking and business customers and the use of colour to indicate the different sections are all issues that can be considered.
However, Irish banks face a particular problem as the historic nature of the buildings housing many Irish banks can be a hindrance in this regard as many are listed buildings and have architectural restrictions.
Opening hours are a big issue and most bankers admit the pressure is on for longer and later opening although Sunday banking remains a remote prospect at present.
The introduction of telephone, Internet and electronic banking has reduced some of the pressure, but most expect extended opening hours lie ahead.
At present, most Irish banks open from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. from Monday to Friday although TSB opens from 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. with late opening until 7.00 p.m. on Thursday.
"Inevitably opening hours will have to change. I would see Saturday opening down the line for certain types of product sales," says Mr Boucher.
Queuing, bankers admit, is one of the biggest causes of customer dissatisfaction and one they work hard to address. But there are some bottlenecks that are hard to avoid. "If you have a branch on an industrial estate, there are invariably going to be queues on a Thursday night when everyone gets paid," says one banker.
While Irish banks remain open to innovations such as supermarket banking and new technology, they continue to take the issue of personal service very seriously and remain keen to be seen as part of the local community rather than remote institutions.
