We thank Ms Gan Boey Keow for her feedback (Long queues due to fewer manned branches, Aug 23) and apologise for any inconvenience caused. We take our customers' feedback seriously to continuously enhance the customer experience and meet their banking needs across our physical and digital touchpoints.

Since the reopening of borders and further easing of community measures, we have seen an increase in customer traffic at our branches.

More new customers are opening accounts with us, and overseas customers returning to Singapore are also activating their accounts. Hence, it has taken longer to attend to customers, and regrettably, this has resulted in longer-than- expected wait times for some customers at the branches.

The most popular transactions conducted over the counter include cash transactions, passbook updates, cheque deposits and more complex transactions such as debit card replacements. Today, all of these can already be done at any time via DBS/POSB digibank or at our more than 1,300 self-service machines that include automated teller machines and video teller machines, many of which are available at our 24/7 self-service branches.

Our staff are stationed at these branches in the day to guide and assist customers, in particular seniors, to get their banking services done via the alternative channels, so that they do not have to wait in line for counter service.

We continually review our operations and will deploy more staff across our branches, especially those with higher footfall, to familiarise our customers with the self-service banking options and also guide them through their transactions.

While we transform our branches to create greater accessibility with the use of technology, we also assure our customers that we remain committed to preserving the personalised interaction that many of them are used to.

Jeremy Soo

Head, Consumer Banking Group

DBS Singapore