First direct

First direct: online banking

First direct is a division of HSBC Bank plc. A specialist in online banking in the UK. First direct has been in profit every year since 1995. Sure of the quality of its services this bank gives customers £100 when they join, and another £100 if they choose to move elsewhere within six months.

First direct: key facts and figures

• First direct has 1.16 million customers
• 890,000 of them use Internet Banking
• 370,000 customers use SMS message banking. first direct sends around 2.6 million text messages to customers every month
• First direct employs 3,200 people in 2,700 FTE roles at two sites, in Leeds and Hamilton (near Glasgow)
• 44% of First direct ’s sales are via e-channels
• More than 1 in 4 of first direct’s customers join because of personal recommendation
• Over 85% of customer contact with first direct is electronic
• First direct handles around 157,760 telephone calls every week
• First direct takes over 29,000 calls a day outside working hours
• First direct takes over 1,700 calls a day from abroad