Following close consultation with our people, these regional branches will continue serving local customers in branch from 9:30am to 1:00pm and then close to assist CBA’s Australian-based contact centres, which are receiving more than a million increasingly complex customer enquiries every month.

Mark Jones, Executive General Manager Customer Service Network said: “Our branches in regional Australia will continue to play an important role in delivering great service to our customers now and into the future, and this is an example of how we are adapting to meet changing customers’ evolving needs while ensuring jobs stay in regional communities.”

“We’re expanding our Australian-based contact centre network from five dedicated locations to over 90 communities across the country, while keeping a physical banking presence in regional communities.”

Outside of these new trading hours, Bank@Post will continue to be available at 3,500 Australia Post outlets for customers who prefer face-to-face banking services. CBA recently renewed its 110-year partnership with Australia Post until 2032, so both personal and business customers can make withdrawals, deposits and bill payments, including passbooks, during normal business hours.

All of these 90 local communities already have convenient 24/7 access to CBA ATMs, which will remain available.

“We understand these changes may be an adjustment for some of our customers, and the team at their local branch will continue to be available to help them find the solutions that best suit their needs,” Mr Jones said.

“We’re concentrating on offering a range of different but complementary options for millions of Australians to complete their everyday banking, including our branches, Bank@Post, our Australian-based contact centres, ATMs, and our digital services.”

While the coronavirus pandemic has not changed how CBA determines its branch footprint and services, this period has accelerated the continuing shift in customer preferences towards digital and contact centre services. In recent years, we have seen a significant increase in customers self-serving on the app or via NetBank, with CBA now serving 7.5 million digitally-active customers.

Customers in older demographics are also actively engaging with CBA online. In a monthly comparison during 2020, more than twice as many customers over 60 accessed NetBank or the CommBank app compared to those who visited a branch in the preceding three-month period.

Each year CBA invests around $50 million in its branch network, to upgrade and refurbish existing branches and open new branches where there is customer demand.