Branch Modernisation at Westlands

The challenge

Westlands is the highest-volume retail branch in the network. Pre-redesign, average queue times exceeded 22 minutes during peak hours. Customer NPS sat at +18, well below the network median of +34.

What we did

Three interventions, sequenced over 24 weeks: (1) replaced four traditional teller windows with two universal-banker pods plus a smart-ATM cluster; (2) introduced an appointment system for high-touch services like loan origination and trade finance; (3) trained every floor agent in Swahili customer service certification.

What we learned

The smart-ATM cluster handled 41% of cash transactions in week 1 — well above the 30% target. The appointment system reduced lobby congestion by 34% even before queue-time improvements landed.