As schoolchildren we were made to learn a raft of expressions used in the English laguage, one of which is ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ and this perfectly suits a new range of tools on the First National Bank smartphone app – something that equally reflects the changing ‘normal’ brought about by Covid.
The latest edition of nav» Smart Tools on the FNB App helps customers manage their money better through dynamic budgeting; as well as facilitating access to market and creating a digital marketplace for FNB-banked SMEs in the home services category.
Through the FNB App, customers can now intuitively manage their money through nav» Smart Budget to help them spend less than they earn, access vehicle finance from WesBank, as well as deals and discounts from leading car brands via nav» Car. Customers can also use the App to list their homes within minutes privately or through an FNB-banked real estate agent. Furthermore, customers will now get exclusive access to NetcarePlus GP vouchers through the FNB App.
nav» Home services, a new Marketplace to support SMEs has also been introduced to enable small businesses to offer home services such as electrical, building, plumbing and alternative energy to over 3 million users of the FNB App. Significantly, individual customers can also select from over 1 500 SMEs that are already part of the marketplace.
Jacques Celliers, FNB CEO says: “As we navigate these challenging times, we continue to re-imagine what is possible by leveraging the scale of our platform to help both individual and business customers. The launch of our latest smart tools, which are deeply embedded in our understanding of customer challenges, is testament to this.
“More importantly, small businesses, which are the backbone of our economy have also taken a lot of strain this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and we believe the digitised marketplace solution will help them boost their income overtime and become a key revenue line in their day to day business.”
Ghana Msibi, WesBank Motor CEO says: “Through the nav» Car smart solution integrated into WesBank, we are already providing real help to half a million car users who have seamlessly loaded their cars onto the FNB App. We have now taken this a step further by looking holistically at the journey of owning and maintaining a vehicle, and identified value adding, contextual and simplified solutions for our customers. As we continue to build our unique ecosystem, our customers can rest assured we are working hard in making sure that we grow these capabilities over time.”
Customers will officially be able to access the following nav» solutions on the FNB App:
- Smart Budget –with over 1 million customers already using nav» Money, Smart Budget adds more value asspending has been automatically sorted for them, from groceries, fuel, entertainment and data etc. This empowers customers and gives them more control over their money. The tool further uses the Bank’s dynamic data capability to create a level of accountability as well as real-time coaching. As a result, customers can set a number of different budget limits ranging from fixed alerts to smart alerts and get timely notifications.
- Car – FNB banked customers can now access a list of unique offers, brands and vehicles, as well as streamlined pre-approved finance from WesBank via nav» Car on the FNB App.
- Home Buying and Selling –this solution has paved the way for the Bank to successfully connect FNB Businesses to FNB customers. Customers can now list to sell their property in minutes, either with an FNB Business Banked Real Estate Agent or Privately. This provides them access to thousands of FNB pre-approved buyers. Customers also have access to special deals on new property developments.
To date, FNB has already helped thousands of families to the value of R20-billion through access to a home loan via this platform.
- Home Services –customers can search for an FNB Banked five-star service provider i.e. plumber, electrician, security or even home catering provider. They can then chat via the FNB App, share images of the problem area and agree on a suitable time for a site visit. Once the job has been completed, payment can be done on the App. The service provider can also be rated and reviewed. It only takes minutes to list services, enabling SMEs to go from being a traditional brick and mortar business, to having a secure app to service up 3 million FNB App users in moments.
- Wellness – in just over a year since its launch, over 100 000 customers have used this smart solution. As customers have to cope with a redefined reality of change, FNB has put together mindfulness and health solutions to help them understand their personalised wellness scores, offering suggested goals, and tips to coach them on their journey.
Furthermore, customers will get access to an exclusive offer with NetcarePlus, which offers discounted GP vouchers for a virtual consultation at R290, face to face consultation at R350 and GP consultation including acute medication at R430. Customers will also be able to purchase vouchers for their loved ones, helpers or employees.
“Our smart tools have already had a meaningful impact on both our individual customers and business clients. As an integrated financial services provider, we believe there is a great opportunity in creating smart connections among customers by using our dynamic data capabilities and secure platform,” concludes Celliers.
