Agricultural Bank's New Measures for Branch Transformation

The Agricultural Bank of China has issued the "Guidelines for On-site Management of Functional Zoning in Business Outlets (Trial)", which guides the outlets within its jurisdiction to strengthen on-site management through reasonable planning of functional zoning, promote the construction of a retail business marketing system based on business outlets, and lay the foundation for the comprehensive implementation of the outlet transformation strategy.

To further strengthen the on-site service and marketing functions of the outlets, ABC proposed to vigorously implement the "Winning in the Lobby" strategy. Following the idea of "raising corporate business and lowering personal business", it clarified the functional positioning of business outlets as "mainly serving individual customers while also providing corporate settlement platforms". It also proposed unified classification requirements for business outlets, namely, dividing them into four categories based on their functions: self-service outlets, basic outlets, backbone outlets, and financial centers. On this basis, ABC planned standard functional zones for business outlets, clarified the functions, layout requirements, and equipment standards of each zone, and proposed different functional zone combinations and expansions according to the type of business outlet, geographical location, and customer groups served.

In accordance with the requirements of the guidelines, ABC clearly defined the key focus of current outlet management work as formulating strategic plans for outlet construction and transformation, further optimizing the outlet layout, concentrating financial resources, accelerating the pace of outlet infrastructure construction, and focusing on building a number of wealth centers, financial centers, and backbone outlets to promote outlet transformation through renovation.

In addition, ABC will fully implement the visual image construction project of business outlets, striving to unify the functional layout and internal and external visual image of all outlets under its jurisdiction within 2 to 3 years, creating "chain store"-style outlets, and enhancing the brand image of ABC. In terms of outlet management systems, ABC will formulate unified outlet service standards, establish morning meeting systems, inspection systems, and "mystery customer" inspection systems, forming an integrated service quality management system and mechanism of "standard norms, training enhancement, cultural incentives, and supervision evaluation", comprehensively improving the soft power of outlet services.