Bank From Anywhere

JRNI is a Business Reporter client.

Customer behavior has changed enormously over the past year. As customers, and as humans, we don’t just want to buy products or services—we want a truly unique experience. And providing unique, human-to-human customer engagement is at the very core of where the financial industry is headed. The transition to personalized experiences and a more adaptable, virtual world was already happening, and the pandemic has made it happen that much faster.

As many companies have adapted their work policies to include working from home and working from anywhere, many customers now bank on-the-go—and expect to. Here are a few key things for you to know.

The empowered customer

The truth is that the need for banking services has not changed. People still want to deposit checks, open accounts, get debit cards, refinance their homes and more. What has changed is the way technology enables customers to manage these services on their terms. The empowered customer wants convenience, simplicity and options.

Using flexible virtual technologies, you can give your customers the services they need anytime, anywhere, via any device, and this is exactly what the digitally empowered customer expects.

Physical branches aren’t going away

There will always be customers who prefer to bank in person. People value in-person, human-to-human connections. That’s why physical branch locations should supplement with a digital strategy, including remote video- and voice-based appointments.

A recent survey reports that 73% of customers still prefer in-person interaction when receiving financial advice. So, while there might be less dependence on physical branches moving forward, they are still an important part of the banking business.

Embrace the right technology

Appointment scheduling technology can give your customers an unmatched level of service and the personalization that keeps them coming back. Additionally, virtual queuing and capacity management can help your branch staff manage lobbies while simultaneously improving the customer experience.

Appointment scheduling

Appointment scheduling helps banks run safely and efficiently, reach a broader audience and provide the unique, personalized experience customers want.

There is a slew of appointment scheduling use cases for financial institutions, and many ways to provide memorable experiences, but two worth mentioning are:

• Mortgage appointments: Video appointments have been a huge innovation for the mortgage market as advisors can now share documents online and customers can sign documents while on a video call. This makes the entire process more flexible and efficient.

• Wealth management appointments: According to Accenture, the trend is heading toward a blend of face-to-face and remote interactions to provide more personalized and higher-value interventions with advisors. By providing one-to-one, in-person and remote appointments, many opportunities exist for wealth management advisors.

With virtual appointments, banks get the benefits of providing services during nontraditional hours. This after-hours availability could be the difference between a customer staying loyal and moving to a competitor.

Virtual queuing

Another way banks can significantly improve the customer experience is through lobby management. Virtual queuing and capacity management technologies are helping banks do this at scale.

With virtual queuing, customers have the choice to go online, check-in and be notified, regardless of their location, of the time of their appointment. And capacity management can be used to set a limit, manage branch walk-ins at peak times and ensure that there is enough space and distance in bank lobbies.

As we look to the future, it is important to embrace digital transformation and technology such as bank scheduling software to exceed your customers’ expectations. By giving your customers the option to do business with you on their terms, and by giving them expert guidance, you will be well on your way to improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Click here to learn more about leveraging JRNI for your financial institution.

— John Federman, CEO,JRNI

_{This article originally appeared on Business Reporter. Image credit: iStock-1158244914}