Our first branch visit in London was to an old-style private bank that has been serving wealthy clients since the late 1600s. Upon entering the building, we met their facilities manager, who proceeded to tell us about the history of the bank and gave us a book on the institution. There was an imposing teller area lined with gold trim and a bunch of bank staff huddled over their computers in an area not accessible to customers. It felt more like a library than a bank branch.

But a short taxi ride away, were branches firmly rooted in the 21st century, designed to minimize human contact and get customers to use lower-cost channels.

At a 600-square-foot teller-less branch of one of the large building societies (similar to a savings bank) we were greeted by a bank representative whose role was to answer questions and show customers how to use the two advanced multi-function ATMs in the lobby. Customers feed their checks into the ATM, see an image of the check on the screen and then get a copy of the check image printed on their receipt. But customers wanting to open a new account had to wait in a cramped space in the back of the branch before meeting with the sole new account representative.

Taking this self-service concept much further was a newly renovated branch operated by one of the top three banks in the UK. We counted a total of 15 self-service devices inside and outside the branch: on one wall were several cash-dispense ATMs, two devices for making check deposits and two devices for making cash deposits. On the opposite wall of the branch were two stations linked to the bank's call center, two Internet stations allowing online banking transactions and two touch-screen kiosks enabling customers to pay bills and transfer funds. A bank staff member roamed the lobby of the branch, welcoming customers and showing them how to use the self-service equipment.

Within our 15 minutes in the branch during the lunch hour, we saw twice as many people use the self-service devices than conduct transactions in the small teller area, which consisted of two stations for retail customers and one for business customers. What was striking about this branch was not just the dominant self-service orientation, but also the lack of sales messaging in the high-traffic lobby of the branch. The sales area itself was tucked away in the back of the facility and seemed deserted during our brief visit.

We ended our London tour with a stop at an outlet of one of Britain's leading retail chains. What caught our eye immediately was a large flat-panel monitor 10 feet inside the entrance that displayed the amount of time it would take to get through the check-out line. There were sensors located in the ceiling of the store monitoring the number of customers in the store and adjusting the estimated wait time in response to changes in customer traffic. In the 15 minutes we were in the store, from 12:30 to 12:45 p.m., we saw the wait time increase from 30 seconds to 83 seconds. Once the time reached 80 seconds, the store manager we were speaking with had to leave to open up another check-out station.

Wouldn't this concept be great for branches with long teller lines? If customers saw it would take 30 minutes to make a deposit with a teller, perhaps they would consider using the ATM?