Digitization is advancing unstoppably thanks to technology: it is now possible to access the bank without going to the bank and carry out all operations through the internet, safely, quickly and effectively. However, in the senior population sector, the use of the Internet to operate is less frequent: the National Institute of Statistics (INE) reflects that three out of every ten people over 65 years of age do not use the Internet regularly. For them, for those who need to physically go to a branch to resolve a question or hire a service, some banking entities such as BBVA have reinforced service in 2023 with several measures.
On the one hand, the bank has hired 341 managers specialized in senior clients, who serve them in person or remotely, in a personalized manner. More than 1.4 million customers, over 65 years of age, were served by the preferred telephone channel between April and May 2023.
For banking in general and for BBVA in particular, supporting these clients is a priority. For this reason, the bank has reinforced its attention to this group with several measures. In the specific case of BBVA, among these measures is the extension of cashier hours for in-person service in certain services, which has benefited more than 800,000 customers over 65 years of age.
In addition, the entity has maintained the booklet for those clients who request it. Currently in Spain, BBVA has more than two million passbooks in circulation.
Likewise, it has adapted all its ATMs to improve their readability and use for older people (there are 4,732 spread throughout Spain), through simpler language and design; and has launched a simpler mobile application, with a larger font size and easier to use so they can perform basic operations.
Added to all this is the training in digital skills and fraud prevention that the bank offers free of charge in Spain.
Some of these actions currently mean that the evolution in the use of digital and remote channels among older clients is significant in the last two years. For example, 71.6% of those over 65 years of age are satisfied with the type of services and attention they receive in bank offices, according to a survey carried out by Inmark.
