Wells Fargo is back in the consumer banking game, and as it steps things up, it will be relying heavily on branches. This will include new openings and renovations, including heavily contested turf in the New York metropolitan area, the Chicago area, Nashville and other areas. Branch optimization is mostly complete. Now Wells Fargo will pivot to grow its number of branches again, to serve new markets and to increase density in areas where service needs allow. CEO Charles Schraf said, a renewed focus is primary checking account growth. Beyond being part of the vanguard of this push, the uptown Manhattan location epitomizes what Wells is going for as it leans into branches. The new Wells Fargo branch (1) in Manhattan at Broadway and 82nd Street demonstrates concepts going into new branches and renovations. First stop after the ATM lobby is the “Welcome Touchpoint” desk (2), where a staffer can handle basics and let bankers beyond that point know that a customer wants to see them. (3) The customers can wait in an area patterned more after a living room than a bank branch. Nearby is a giant, interactive replica of the bank’s mobile app, for demos. (4) Just around the corner is a small teller station. (5) Finally, beyond those areas, bankers and financial advisors await, with fully walled offices to accomodate customers’ expressed desire for privacy. A key change in approach is the branch’s “Welcome Touchpoint.” This is a station just past the ATM lobby where a Wells staffer sits at a tall freestanding podium to check people in for appointments and to answer questions. The banker at the station can help out with cash withdrawals or deposits or bring the customer to the teller station. Barstools for customers are also available. The station is also close to a tall live replica of a smartphone screen to demo Wells digital features to interested customers. This giant screen can help the banker show the customer how to handle simple or even more complicated transactions, such as setting up a wire transfer, on their own, from anywhere. The bank is also working to pull the customer into processes like account enrollment. Instead of simply having customers sit passively, answering a banker’s questions as they input data on a screen, the banker does the setup and then presents the customer with a QR code that pulls their phone or tablet into the process. They can then answer questions directly, with prompts from the banker. Some branches are designated as “Wells Fargo Premier” locations, which means that Premier bankers, trained to help wealthier customers, are based there. Other locations may have such bankers present on a rotation or by appointment. A key lesson for all banks: Customers want privacy when discussing their affairs. Wells branches are going back to enclosed offices, where bankers and customers can converse out of earshot.