These days a lot of people take pride in the fact that they have not, in a while, been in any regular physical location (apart from their homes) for their routine activities. “I haven’t been in the office since government-imposed lockdown in 2020. I’ve been working remotely ever since,” you will hear some say. “I have been worshipping [or participating in meetings, other activities, etc.] virtually since the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic last year,” you will also hear them or others claim. These claims, which mirror the signs of the fast-changing times, illustrate the shift that is taking place.
From focusing routine activities around bricks and mortar or a physical location, organisations providing various services to people are now centring those services in remote, virtual and digital spaces and channels. Financial institutions, especially banks, are among service organisations leading and riding this shift away from physical infrastructure. Banks are investing heavily to improve customer touch points that leverage modern technology rather than the traditional way of banking.
One important customer touch point that has seen massive investment in banks’ drive to engender and entrench the shift to alternative banking channels is the website, which is arguably the most critical customer touch point and channel that any bank should maintain. Bank websites provide authentic and regularly updated information from the banks and serve as the valid and secure gateway or entry point to certain banking transactions, such as Internet banking.
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As our world turns more to virtual channels today than at any time before, FirstBank is again showing leadership. Through the launch of a new corporate website on Monday 19 April 2021, FirstBank has demonstrated yet again why its over 30 million customers continue to trust and rely on it. With a brand purpose that seeks to always put its customers, partners and other stakeholders at the heart of its business, the bank’s unrivalled, market-leading financial services knowledge and practices are undeniably enabling it to understand and anticipate customers’ needs and proactively respond to surpass their expectations by seeking a better way of delivering first-class service and experience to them.
Just like FirstBank upgraded its then already highly rated app (FirstMobile) the previous year, adding features that customers did not think about or expect, to enhance their mobile banking experience, FirstBank’s recent upgrade of its website, www.firstbanknigeria.com, is meant to deliver to users of the platform a whole new level of customer experience. This point about the new website being redesigned with streamlined features that reinforce the website’s role in delivering seamless banking and technology solutions to customers in every part of the globe, was echoed by an elated Dr Adesola Adeduntan, the CEO of FirstBank, at the launch of the new website last Monday. Describing the bank’s website “as one of the key contact points to existing and potential customers” and “a gateway to our business, supporting our unique value propositions and financial services solutions,” he remarked that FirstBank remains “committed to continuously [improving] the overall user experience through intriguing content quality, exciting features and ease of navigation.”
The new website upgrade represents in a number of ways a better offering FirstBank is serving customers and non-customers on a platter of gold. First, the new website comes with improved functionality that eases the user experience, while various activities are being carrying out on the website, and promotes ease of navigation and engagement. One of the biggest joys of alternative channels is the incredible convenience that they offer over and above traditional channels. The new site has been designed to take convenience to the next level, so customers have absolutely no cause to worry or fear that the new site, because of all the additional features, will complicate their browsing experience. The new website will do the exact opposite – simplify and enhance the customer experience.
Second, the redesign of the website incorporates an intuitive and scalable site navigation. It will encourage users to go beyond just one click to their desired page, nudging them to explore, and benefit from the helpful information and resources on, other pages. This is very much in keeping with FirstBank’s focus on building strong relationships with its customer base and other stakeholders rather than just growing transaction volumes.
More than all previous redesigns of the website, the new site has something for everyone. This is the third reason the upgrade is an exciting proposition. Non-customers will be able to open an account via the new site, to establish a lifelong relationship with the one bank that puts its customers first. Customers and the general public will be able to stay abreast of various financial services solutions and offerings through the new site. This is because the site will serve as a financial services library, helping users to make well-informed decisions about their personal, business and private financial needs in order to improve their economic and social well-being.
Fourth, the new website comes with a striking modern design –a fresh, magazine-style look and feel for easy navigation. As you click the link to the site or enter the URL www.firstbanknigeria.comon your browser, yougain entry intoaneye-catching andheart-warming virtual world with elements working well together, with ample space and no clutter. The only drawback the refreshed design of the site offers is the increased temptation to just stay on and continue navigating the pages of the site long after the user has sorted the reason(s) for visiting the website in the first place.
Fifth, the new website will be updated regularly with exciting features. While continuing to reinforce FirstBank’s resolve to promote digital customer interactions and transactions across all its virtual touch points and platforms, the regular updates will ensure the bank’s customers and other stakeholders remain at the cutting edge of banking innovation and knowledge. And they would not need to worry about the compatibility of their devices for browsing or connecting to the site. This is because, like all great websites, the new website design retains the responsive quality of its predecessor. The site offers a seamless and consistent user experience irrespective of the device used. It will serve users on all devices and orientations.
Lastly, on a lighter note, the new website may just be another reason people will extend working remotely and continuing with virtual alternatives for the foreseeable future. It might not be the outcome that FirstBank branch staff, who are themselves excited about the new website, want, but they could find, to their chagrin, that branch visits by their beloved customers could drop significantly as their customers settle in with the new user-friendly site and seek to handle their transactions on the platform.
The new website upgrade, just like last year’s FirstMobile upgrade, has further reinforced FirstBank’s reputation as an innovative and transformational brand. FirstBank has remained unrelenting in its avowed commitment to continuing to reinvent itself by adopting the latest technology and embracing innovation to stay ever relevant and dynamic, and offer unparalleled value to all its stakeholders. The ultimate goal is to serve customers and other stakeholders so well that they make FirstBank the bank of first choice in all of Africa.
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