Australia's ME Bank has opened its first mini branch - complete with a meeting room, an ATM, videoconferencing and online services - within a local telco's call centre.
The five metre-square 'workplace banking kiosk' is designed to provide customers who cannot get to a branch during the working day with the kind of personal services not available through digital channels.
The kiosks include video phones for access to ME Bank's call centre between 8am and 6pm, a private office space for meetings with a banker, an ATM, and access to Internet banking.
Having piloted the concept at its head office late last year, the bank has signed Telstra as its first real-world customer, with a tiny branch erected at a Melbourne call centre.
Ian Hendey, group executive, sales, ME Bank, says: "The Kiosks combine face-to-face and digital banking and address the difficulty many people have finding time to go to their bank...Customers continue to seek personal contact with a banker, critical for making important financial decisions."