"The really special thing about the mobile branch is that you become part of the local community. The regulars will greet us by name and we’ll catch up with the gossip. It’s such a special relationship – a unique banking experience that gives me a real sense of pride in what we do.
"It’s the little things that can help. For example, one of our customers was recently bereaved. We hadn’t seen her for a while so I called to see if she was OK and find out if I could be of help by making a one-off stop at her home. She was incredibly appreciative. It’s all about the personal touch."
Crawford MacLellan, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis
Lewis is the home of mobile banking – the first ever mobile branch was launched here to serve the Harris Tweed weavers.
Although travel has become easier over the years, bus services are infrequent and a lot of our customers are older, sometimes living in care homes and unable to get out and about. We take our services to them, sometimes going into their homes and, if necessary, even conducting their banking when they’re in bed. You can’t get much more of a personal service than that!
The relationship we build with our customers takes some beating. Some of our customers don’t get a lot of visitors so we’re often one of the few people they see during the day. This means we sometimes do extra little jobs for elderly customers – adjusting a TV aerial, pulling their curtains or putting coal on the fire. It’s just part of the relationships we develop.
The job can throw up some strange situations. There are lots of fish farms in Lewis and helicopters are used to transport juvenile fish to sea lochs. One day we were having lunch and a helicopter landed beside us. The pilot got out, came over to us and said ‘I’m an RBS customer can I withdraw £50?’ That was the first and last time I’ve ever had to serve a helicopter!
