Barclays bans jargon in makeover

Barclays bank is ditching pens on chains and re-branding ATMs "holes in the wall" in a £7m branch revamp.

The bank said it wants to move away from confusing acronyms and jargon, using "more colloquial" terms instead.

Uplifting window displays and signage will also feature in the bid to make branches more customer friendly.

Customers will be beckoned into branch with a sign in the window reading: "Through this door walk the nicest people in the world".

People waiting in the personal banking area will be invited to sit down with the sign "Take the weight off your feet."

Customer service will have new signs asking "Can I help?", while the Bureau de Change will simply be called "Travel Money" in future.

On entering and leaving the branch customers will see signs reading "Hi" and "Bye" respectively.

"Banks have for a long time come across as unfriendly simply by the way they communicate to customers," said Barclays marketing director Jim Hytner.

"The chain on the pen sums up the relationship banks have had with their customers for too long - basically we don't trust you to leave this pen behind after you use it, yet we expect you to entrust us with your life savings," he added.

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