Barclays unchains pens in client-friendly revamp

British Barclays PLC, working on the theory that people enjoy going to the bank as much as visiting the dentist, is making its branches more user-friendly.

So go ahead and take home that pen sitting at the teller's window, because the chain attaching the pen to the countertop will soon be gone.

And you're depositing your money, feel free to strike up a conversation with the teller -- they'll help you by wearing a badge that gives you information about their hobbies.

The pens and badges are part of Barclays' multimillion dollar overhaul of the design of its banks, due to be complete in 1,500 locations around the UK by May.

Barclays change a series of signs in its branches to simplify the message -- "customer Service" will become "Can I Help?" and "Bureau de Change" will become simply "Travel Money."

For those visiting from outside the country, the unfamiliar term "queue" will no longer be a point of confusion, as signs reading "Counterservice, please queue here" will be replaced with "This way to the counter."

The new rope-free pens will carry messages such as "Take me, I'm yours" and "Borrowed from my bank" while bank tellers will wear name badges that include personal pieces of information, such as "I'm a Manchester United Fan."

People cash on-the-go will no longer stop at the ATM, or Automatic Teller Machine, but instead will use the colloquial "hole in the wall."

"Banks have for a long time come across as unfriendly simply by the way they communicate to customers," Barclays marketing director Jim Hytner said.

"The chain on the pen sums up the relationship banks have had with their customers for too long -- basically we don't trust you to leave this pen behind after you use it, yet we expect you to entrust us with your life savings," he added.

Barclays relations manager Ellie Waters said that the new design had received "overwhelmingly positive" feedback from both customers and staff after test runs at five banks across the country.

"It's just about talking to our customers properly in a way they want to be spoken to," Waters said.