Future Branches Connect Virtual Event

Technology is impacting consumer preferences and companies have to move faster than ever to adopt new technology with a customer-centric mindset. Especially given the rush towards digital capabilities during the beginning of the pandemic. But, customers also want personalization—In an increasingly online world with self-service on the rise, customers are still looking for a 1 to 1 relationship and a personal touch. Especially with the institution that safeguards their money. Takeaways from this session will include:

• What customer facing or customer centered technology have you invested in within the past couple of years? What customer problem led you to investing in this technology?
• How can you be more human in your interactions (even if they are digital) and deliver more personalized and authentic communications?
• What kind of messaging/channels can you use? What kind of language should be used?
• What does it mean to move away from transactions and towards meaningful engagement?
• What do customers want brands to know about them—and what do they want from you in return?
• How do you make sure any human manned customer service channels are staffed with employees who are fully trained on providing the best possible experiences?
• How can you make sure that your customers are satisfied with the mix of high tech & high touch you’ve set up?

Maureen Flaherty, CMO, Kennebunk Savings Bank

• Understanding how innovation will set your organization apart from the competition.
• Understanding the types of innovation and digital tools you should invest in to keep up with competition
• Fostering internal behaviors that promote creativity and innovation
• Working alongside risk and compliance departments to keep customer information safe while pushing innovation forward
• Giving your team the room to be flexible and autonomous
• Creating internal conditions that are conducive to innovation

Robert Sims, SVP Core Retail Bank, Hancock Whitney

Given the impact of coronavirus, many of you have had to complete digital transformation projects in 2 months as opposed to the two years you had them planned out for. You’ve had to AGGRESSIVELY educate customers on how to use ITM’s and drive thru’s for basic transactions and have had to ramp up video conferencing capabilities and completely rethink AGAIN what your branches are for. As we work through re-opening branch lobbies in some states, it’s clear there is no going back. There is only going FORWARD.

• How are you going to take what you’ve learned through this process and apply it to your plans for your branches in the future?
• What digital products did you invest in during COVID that you think will continue to improve CX event after COVID is over?
• How do you approach the new normal? What nonessential processes can you leave behind?

Eric Oterson, Senior Vice President, Service and Sales Management, Jovia Financial Credt Union

Adelbert Spaan, Executive Vice President, Retail Network, Treasury Management, ‎First American Bank

• Using digital signage to provide real time updates to pertinent banking information
• Ensuring customer engagement with relevant content, offers & stories that relate directly to them and even combining that with live beacon ads that ping them on their cells phones as they wait to talk to a branch staff member
• Excellent branding opportunity and way to present new products and services
• Able to be personalized based on location and community

According to research by Adobe Analytics, 50%+ of consumers, including Millennials and Gen Z, still visit branches at least monthly. 72% of Gen Z consumers visit a branch at least once a month. That’s more than any other age group, according to this 2019 study of 1,000 consumers. And 60% of Millennials say the same. If this continues to be the case, can you close branches? If you have a branch network serving a market, the answer is likely yes, but you have to do so carefully. Our panelists will walk us through what the branch closure or moving process looks like and how they do this with the least amount of upset

Kim Oblak, VP, Chief Retail Officer, LA Financial Credit Union

Cindy Huntley, Executive Vice President, Chief Banking Officer, Heritage Bank

Previous spending on costly renovations & new technology have made your branches more of a cost center for the business in the past couple of years, but there is massive opportunity to streamline and optimize things across your network to ensure great profits. Which will be incredibly necessary to avoid acquisition as the pandemic continues to affect us. That can be done by cutting down on operating costs and creating efficiencies across your branches. Join this fireside to hear more about how one institution has been approaching optimization. Expect to hear answers to questions like:

• What technology can you implement to cut down on customer wait time?
• How can you streamline processes like loan applications or customer onboarding?
• What are some of the ways you can make your employees jobs easier?

Misti Mostiller, Executive Vice President, Director of Consumer Banking & Enterprise Innovation, Extraco Bank

1. Roundtable: Hosted by Reflexis (Zebra)
2. Roundtable: Using Biometric Technology in Branch to Make Things More Secures
3. Roundtable: Offering Financial Wellness Apps & Programs

Specially designed for executives who have seen it all and are looking to shake things up, these sessions will be led by those in the industry who are thinking outside the box in order to figure out the future of branch innovation within the banking industry.

Rampant shuttering of branches has slowed down in the past two or three years and now, banks are even starting to open some branches. Even despite the pandemic, banks, while closing branches, continue to open new ones. Why? Because branches still remain the best way for a bank to enter a new market and they are the biggest sources of revenue for a bank. But, during this time of continued virtual connection, how do you start bringing new money in from existing and new clients?

Are you growing? What is the overall vision for your growth?

• How are you leveraging the branch in your overall growth strategy?
• How can you compete against FinTechs and large tech behemoths who are all encroaching on your potential business?
• How are you calculating branch ROI? Does growth potential have something to do with it

There are many ways that your customer’s very sensitive information can be obtained in security breaches both outside of your branches and within. How can you make sure that you are doing everything you keep this information safe while also innovating and trying to implement new technology? Join this keynote to hear more about:

• Putting infrastructure in place to monitor suspicious activity
• Working with the best possible network security vendors for your branches and ATM network
• Finding technical solution integrations that work well together and won’t expose your customer’s information
• Educating your staff so they understand the nature of data breaches and how they can best be prepared

Managing the threat of security breaches while providing your customer’s with the experience they want

Today’s consumer is…. STRESSED. Constantly. And you know what stresses them out more than thinking about their job, their relationships or their living situation? MONEY. Considering your institution was designed to help consumers deal with their money and make smarter financial decisions, don’t you think you’d be wise to step in and help educate and inform? While many banks and credit unions have established financial literacy and education programs, is there anything more your institution can be doing?

• What are some of the reasons you’ve started focusing on financial literacy for your customer/member and/or employees?
• What are some of the initiatives you’ve undergone to help promote financial literacy?
• How did you decide on these particular initiatives/programs?
• How do share these initiatives with your customers? How involved have your employees been in these programs?
• What have been some of the results?
• Do you think a focus on financial literacy can help you attract new business and grow going forward?
• How do you balance a genuine message promoting financial education while also potentially marketing products for your customers to use?
• Do you see financial literacy and education as a key piece of the puzzle for the future of branch relevance?

Lisa Colangelo, SVP, Coast Capital Savings**

Karen Ortiz, COO, First Financial Credit Union

Your customer only has so many readily available options when it comes to what they can do with their money. You need to take this into consideration when planning the experiences they can have with you and make those experiences more personal and efficient. The first step involves understanding what customer data you need to accomplish this ‘personal’ experience and why. Then, you can use the more in depth data you can collect from them to really give them what they want and need. During this keynote, expect to hear:

• The kinds of technology needed to accomplish a personalized connection with customers
• What kind of training your employee needs to go through in order to be ready for this personalization
• How your branch design needs to change to facilitate these personalized interactions. 
• The marketing methods you should be using to offer meaningful advice & product suggestions to customers

Pre-pandemic, there was a shift in focus towards creating branches that were focused on relationship building & not on transactions. The pandemic has only ramped up the need to shift ALL transactions to drive thrus, ATMs/ITMs or digital channels. Banks like PNC, Regions & Bank of America are closing their current bloated branches and developing more functional digital first & agile locations where customers can make appointments to come and test out new digital products and have meaningful conversations with digital & sales minded bank employees. Let’s talk about what the REAL branch of the future will look like and if you see if permanently replacing the branches you currently have.

What better advertising can you have than an actual physical reminder to your customers that you are present in their community and ready to serve them if they need help? Branches need to change and become places for advisory conversations, but, can’t they also exist as a brand builder in new markets or a way to unveil a new logo and color scheme? And yes, your ATM’s are KEY to meeting customer needs in locations where you might not have branches, but can’t they also help promote you a little bit as well? Join this session to hear how to be capitalizing on an often overlooked branch benefit.

There is no reason for your branch staff to fear AI and Automation. These technologies are being added to your branches in order to make their lives easier and help customers in a more efficient way. In fact, automation removes some of the routine responsibilities that they might have and will allow to them have more in depth conversations with customers. Automation can make everything from customer onboarding to data entry to loan approval easier than it’s ever been. Having these things automated will make branch employees lives easier. AI & Automation can also help provide employees with a personalized view of each customer that walks in the door- augmenting their ability to provide assistance. So fear is not necessary- instead, excitement should be felt by branch employees who will only be helped by new technology such as this! Join this fireside chat to hear how one institution is using this new technology to help employees and improve customer experiences.

Shawn Premer, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Chief Human Resources Officer, Consumers Credit Union