Don't want to wait in line at DBS? SMS for spot

Don't want to wait in line at DBS? SMS for spot

Before you walk into a DBS Bank or POSB branch, you may wish to whip out your phone first to book a place in the queue.

In a service to be rolled out soon, you will be able to monitor the queue as you have a coffee or do some shopping.

The bank officially launched the new system yesterday, allowing customers to ask for a queue number by sending an SMS to the branch before a visit.

Once the SMS is received, the customer will be informed of his or her queue number as well as the number of people ahead in the queue.

Customers can check the mobile number of the required branch via DBS or POSB's mobile banking apps, or at the branch.

The SMS queue system is touted as the first to be introduced by a bank here.

It will be rolled out to all full-service DBS and POSB branches by the end of next month.

As part of the transformation, the bank is replacing the space traditionally dedicated to standing queues with seats to allow customers to rest while waiting.

Pilot tests of the system have been conducted since last July, as the bank continues its push to find new and innovative ways to serve customers.

"As the largest bank in Singapore, our branches are one of the most utilised, and we are constantly exploring ways to enhance our customers' branch banking experience," DBS head of consumer banking in Singapore Jeremy Soo said in a statement yesterday.

The new way of doing business comes as more of its clients make use of technology to meet their banking needs.

DBS said more than one million people now use its mobile banking service, while its Internet banking platform has more than 2.2 million users.

The bank has also received nearly 600,000 enquiries since launching an SMS banking service last October.

The service allows customers to perform simple banking transactions such as checking their account balances through the use of SMS.

feimok@sph.com.sg


This article was first published on Feb 26, 2015.
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