Portland, Oregon-based Umpqua bank, for example, is launching an app this week that will let customers peruse profiles of bankers and allow customers to interact with bankers of their choice before they set foot in physical locations. Profiles include a photo, a few details about the employee, and information about their banking expertise.
Meanwhile, Bank of America is catering to digitally comfortable customers who need a little help on site. A year ago it began testing thinly staffed branches equipped with tablets and video-conferencing capabilities, and now plans to expand the program.
Bank are mimicking retailers in using experiences that can’t be delivered through digital-only service models to hook customers and develop deeper relationships with them. Over the past year, Citi, Chase and Bank of America have all rolled out physical locations resembling Apple Stores equipped with tablets, video-conferencing capabilities and other tech that help customers and employees on staff solve problems more quickly. While service models vary depending on the institution, the idea centers on having staff members use digital tools to solve problems faster, Video conferencing is sometimes used to pull in experts to navigate more complicated issues.
For Umpqua Bank, the new app serves two purposes: to encourage customers to develop a one-on-one personal relationship with bankers before a physical meeting takes place, and through interactions, it builds a roster of customer data on the back end to personalize interactions that occur in branches. Umpqua Bank has 270 branches in the western U.S. and was an early adopter in taking cues from retailers to improve customer service. Its employee training emphasizes the creation of emotional bonds with customers through frequent use of their names, and the understanding that all employees play a role in curating memorable customer experiences.
Read the entire article by Digiday online.
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