News

Barclays machine moniker misfire has Brits bristling

Naming your car: Acceptable. Naming your self-services devices: Not.

July 22, 2015

In an apparent attempt to ease customers' transition from staffed teller counters to machine-equipped "assisted service counters," a handful of Barclays branches in the U.K. have given first names to their self-service devices.

According to a report by the U.K.'s Daily Mail, the names were meant to help customers distinguish one machine that performs a particular set of transactions from another that performs a different set. For instance, you might see "Sally" about depositing a check, but visit "Mike" to arrange a direct debit.

However the effort has not gone down well with those who see the attempt to humanize machines as a patronizing brush-off by the bank.

"There will be some customers who will appreciate the joke," Derek French of the Campaign for Community Banking Services told the Daily Mail. "But this is an insult to those who have queued up at their local branch wanting to speak to a human. Giving a name to a machine is a very poor substitute. Customers do not want to be taken for mugs."

The report said that the machine-naming was a trial being conducted at five Barclays locations, with the possibility that the program might get a wider rollout if it went well.

However, a Barclays spokesman offered a somewhat different explanation.

"This was a well-intentioned attempt by local branch staff to help customers more easily identify and use new technology in branch. While raising a few smiles with customers along the way, there are no current plans to roll it out further."