How to avoid queues and save time at the bank

Posted by Felix Okoli on Monday July 29, 2013 at 7:51:56:

1. Go to isolated or unpopular bank branches: Avoid going to banks that are close to bus stops. Most people who go to banks tend to go with buses and not private cars. They are mostly middle and low class Nigerians who don't have a private car or just find it more convenient to use commercial vehicles. Banks close to bus stops tend to be more crowded than the ones that are far from bus stops.

2. Go with your ATM card: Making withdrawals from banks is much faster with ATMs than walking to the cashier. Even some banks allow you to make much faster deposits if you also come along with your ATM card than just a bank teller. Some banks tend to provide a different queue for customers who come with ATM cards than those who do not.

3. Use internet banking: There are a lot of issues you can solve using internet banking and without going to your bank branch. e-banking saves you time as you can check your account balance, statement, view the credits and debits to your account and even setup orders on your account such as fixed deposit, transfers as well as request for loans. With internet banking you can even pay for bills related to cable tv, electricity, utility bills and buy airtime recharge.

4. Bank with high income class banks: Sure most commercial banks tend to have a lot of customers from the low income category. This is common among banks with a little or no minimum opening account balance. People going to such banks are more likely to joining long queues due to the high number of low income customers such banks are likely to have. Most old generation banks are in this category and banking with them is most likely going to waste your time.

5. Don't go to the bank during rush hour: In Nigeria rush hour tend to be around 8 am to 9am and during this time, a lot of people tend to flood the banks and bank staff tend to be overwhelmed by their presence and service is generally slow and so long queues would form. I've noticed that most banks tend to be free around 10 am to 11.30 a.m.

6. Go to the bank when the weather is cold: Lots of people are more likely to fill the banks when the weather is hot than when it's cold. So this leaves times like early in the morning or a generally cold day a good time to go to bank. Don't expect to find few people in air conditioned banks when the outside weather is hot.

7. Avoid cashing cheques: It is much faster to just pay in cheques into your bank account than collecting cash. If you really want to save yourself sometime, it is better to just pay in the cheque into your current account or any other suitable account and then wait for some days for it to clear. Waiting at the bank to collect over the counter cash can waste your time and is not advisable unless you have nothing better to do.

8. Call customer service: Nowadays, you can easily call customer service of your bank to confirm a bank transaction or your account balance than going to the bank. The only thing it would cost you is your airtime credit but it is more convenient and saves you time and energy of going to the bank. I see a lot of people who go to the bank just to confirm their account balance. For me, it's just a waste of time when they could have just made a phone call. All it takes it to know the phone number for your bank's customer service, have your account number at hand and then answer any other personal questions you may be asked.

I think these tips would be helpful in saving you time at your bank rather than joining a long queue and wasting time

1
Re: How to avoid queues and save time at the bank Reply by prosper on Sunday October 6, 2013 at 12:37:52:

Thank you for the tips. May God bless you.




---