Customers everywhere are increasingly looking for frictionless and personalized experiences all with the option of being self-service. In banking this requires a more digital mindset, shifting both technology and culture. To stay competitive, banks need to embrace new digital technologies and blend them into their physical branches. Doing so will empower their employees to focus...Read More

Electronic Mini-Branches containing multiple ATMs and other self-service equipment provide a low-cost way for FIs to grow and expand service without the expense of building and staffing large branches. “The concept of unattended Electronic Mini-Branches with video links to remote customer service and sales staff has been around for over 20 years,” said international retail...Read More

No question about it, today’s customers enjoy the convenience of online banking services. But that doesn’t mean they are ready to part with the nearest branch of their bank. After all, that’s where they go to inquire about loans, explore savings options and rent a safe-deposit box. It’s also where they go to meet face-to-face...Read More

1. Omnichannel is table stakes. Nearly everyone agrees that a true omnichannel experience is a requirement to succeed in retail banking. “The industry is doing pretty well providing real-time data for monetary transactions in all channels,” Kerstein believes, but he sees limited integration on customer service. “Most institutions still lack the ability to start an...Read More

Technology is driving more self-service options in branches and having a massive impact on how branch staff interact with customers. These two closely interconnected factors will determine the fate and future of the brick-and-mortar channel in banking. For retail financial institutions that accelerate their transformation strategies, branches striking the right balance between people and technology...Read More

As digital technology continues to ease consumers’ lives, it is important not to forget the human aspects that can drive engagement, loyalty and brand satisfaction. Technology has vastly revolutionized the way we communicate both personally and professionally. According to the latest statistics published by Statista and Hootsuite, the number of Internet users exceeds 4.1 billion...Read More

Why foot traffic still matters in retail and banking, even in the era of digital transformation From K-mart to Sears, Radio Shack to hhgregg, 2017 marked a record year in retail store closures across the country with more than 7,000 brick-and-mortar stores shuttering by December 31. Not since the financial meltdown in 2008 has the retail sector...Read More

How do you make a financial brand more friendly and personal? That’s a question banks and credit unions have wrestled with forever. But the challenge has only become trickier in the Digital Age. It’s exceedingly difficult to humanize any brand in online channels — particularly in the banking industry. That’s why brick-and-mortar branches where people...Read More

Q: “Is there an ideal branch format?” A: The “ideal branch” of the future will be fully automated with robots or holograms serving as branch staff. The interior walls will reconfigure at the push of a button to create meeting rooms of different sizes and shapes with chairs popping out of the floor to fit any...Read More

THE CURRENT STATE OF THE INDUSTRY Even in the most mature markets, consumers state they still want to receive advice, discuss certain high-value products face-to-face in a branch and, ultimately, deepen their relationships with their financial institutions. As a result, the branch is not being abandoned; it is being transformed. Financial institutions around the world...Read More