Almost all of DNB’s customers have become digital. The bank is now implementing extensive measures to adjust branches and staff numbers to the new banking reality. Parallel to this, additional resources are being allocated to the customer service centre and to the innovation of new digital services, such as Vipps.
"When customers change their banking habits, we must follow suit. Developments over the last two years have shown that customers have more contact with us than before, but in completely different ways. They would like their bank to be available all the time, and use their mobile phones for everything from paying bills to applying for a mortgage," says group executive vice president Trond Bentestuen, head of Personal Banking Norway in DNB.
The pace of the digital banking revolution is much faster than many envisaged just two years ago:
-
85 per cent of Norwegian banking customers no longer use a bank branch for everyday banking.[1]
-
Nine of ten Norwegians do their banking online, and an increasing number use their mobile phones or tablets.[2]
-
In 2015, DNB had as many as 156 million visits to its mobile bank and 91 million visits to its Internet bank.
-
Over-the-counter services in branches have been reduced by 82 per cent in the last two years.
-
Four of five DNB customers who entered into savings schemes last year, did this online.
-
Vipps, DNB’s payment app, is now used by more than 1 million Norwegians and has changed the way we send money to each other.
-
Corporate customers use the bank in different ways than before. Nine of ten companies that establish a new customer relationship with the bank do so digitally.
"Customers make extensive use of our self-service channels, and therefore it is a logical consequence to adjust our physical distribution network. Consequently, we will reduce the number of branches serving our personal customers from 116 to 57 during the first six months of this year," says Bentestuen. Changes are also being made in the corporate market, from 63 to 46 locations. DNB Eiendom will retain their presence in current locations.
DNB will still have branches in all counties in Norway and most customers who live close to a branch which will be closed, will have less than thirty minutes to drive to their nearest DNB branch.
"We will retain a physical presence in many places in Norway. When customers wish to meet with the bank in person, we will offer the right expertise and high-quality advisory services. We are also increasing the number of employees at our customer service centre, where everyone who contacts us receives personal service 24/7, both on the phone and via our chat services," says Bentestuen.
As communicated in DNB’s presentation at the Capital Markets Day on 25 November 2015, the reduction in the number of branch offices will entail that fewer employees are needed. In 2015, staff at the branch offices was reduced by 200 full-time positions, mainly by natural attrition. The changes announced today entail a further reduction of some 600 full-time positions at our branches during 2016.
"This is a challenging day for the employees affected, and it is regretful that so many competent employees will have to leave the bank. We will do what we can to implement the staff reductions through voluntary measures," says Bentestuen.
"For most of our customers, both personal and corporate, little will change. They can solve their everyday banking needs digitally. They can call us 24/7, every day, 365 days a year. They can also meet us via our chat and social media channels. Straightforward banking services can be carried out in in-store postal and banking outlets and in post offices at more than 2,400 locations across the country," concludes the group executive vice president.
[1 and 2] Dagligbankundersøkelsen 2015 (Finans Norge)
For further information, please contact:
Group executive vice president, Personal Banking Norway, Trond Bentestuen: tel: (+47) 95028448
Executive vice president, Corporate Communications, Even Westerveld: tel: (+47) 400 16 744
