OCBC launches learners programme for the elderly

The programme aims to teach senior citizens how to use digital banking and avoid scams.

OCBC Bank is mobilising its heartland branches to conduct one-on-one training for elderly customers aged 60 years old and above to learn how to bank and pay digitally – and to stay safe from scams whilst doing so.

According to research done by OCBC almost 1 in every 3 customers who walks into an OCBC Bank branch for over-the-counter teller transactions today is aged 60 and above, and the top two reasons for their branch visits are cash withdrawals and deposits – basic banking services that could be reduced or replaced by digital payments. 

To equip the elderly with digital know-how, OCBC launched OCBC Digital Silvers, a programme that will upskill more than 400 elderly customers.

The OCBC Digital Silvers will hold 25 workshops, each lasting about 1.5 hours until the end of Q2 2023. The curriculum emphasises everyday digital banking and payment skills including a step-by-step walkthrough of the OCBC Digital app, and how to make QR Code payments and PayNow transfer. It als has an equal emphasis on cyber security so that elderly customers can enjoy the convenience of digital banking without falling prey to phishing and other scams that leverage digital channels. The bank has been developing security advisory tips to educate customers about scams, and branch staff will share these tips. 

ALSO READ: South Korea financial firms shutters 1,000 offline offices in one year

OCBC bank will assign each elederly customers who will attend the program a dedicated OCBC branch staff. 

According to OCBC this one-on-one format was tested during four pilot sessions in the earlier part of this year to great success, with the chief benefits including removal of language barrier and allowing each elderly customer an undivided attention to answer queries and other questions.

“For many of us, digital banking has become part and parcel of our lives. However, digital banking is still unchartered territory for some of our elderly customers who rely on branches for most of their banking needs. A visit to the branch might even be part of their everyday routine – many of our branches, especially those in the heartlands, have ‘regulars’ whom our branch colleagues look forward to seeing. These long-time customers were in our minds when we created the OCBC Digital Silvers programme,” Sunny Quek, OCBC Bank’s Head of Consumer Financial Services in Singapore said.