Scotiabank to provide Free WIFI for customers

Scotiabank Jamaica will shortly be introducing free Wi-Fi for customers in a number of its branches islandwide.

Deputy chief executive officer of Scotiabank, David Noel, said the bank continues to encourage customers to do their banking transactions online.

Noel said as part of this thrust, the bank will be providing Wi-Fi in some of its branches to walk customers through the process of how to navigate an app to do online transactions.

"What we plan to do is have them download the app there and spend time walking them through the basics because what we have found is that once a customer starts using online banking, the feedback we get from them is that this is fantastic," Noel told The Gleaner yesterday.

The Scotiabank executive pointed out that customers who conduct online banking pay less fees than those who access the service at the branches.

He said Jamaica has made significant investment in its telecommunications infrastructure and the availability of Wi-Fi continues to increase.

There are more than 100,000 customers of the bank who use online banking.

Noel said the decision by the Government to provide Wi-Fi in public spaces is also a move in the right direction.

"As a country, we need to find more efficient ways to do things that are more convenient to our customers and our citizens and from a productivity perspective. Gone are the days when you have to spend half of your day on a Friday in a (bank) line to cash your payroll cheque," he said.

He said business persons should be encouraged to pay their employees directly using online or digital channels and then having customers being able to access their money on their phones or online and pay bills from the comfort of their offices or homes.