CX Automation Improves Bank Branch Customer Experience

As I mentioned in a previous blog, A Day in the Life of a Bank Branch, the branch is still an important customer interaction channel, especially for opening new accounts. Given this, it is extremely critical that banks are continually finding ways to improve the in-branch experience.

In the video, Choreographing the Bank Branch Experience, we see the very different journeys of two customers who wish to speak to a banker.

Moving between Digital and Physical Channels with Appointment Booking

In the video we meet Harry, a business executive and customer of the bank. Harry wants to schedule an appointment with a banker at the Main Street Branch to discuss a second mortgage. Harry goes to Orbital’s website and uses Verint Appointment Booking to easily find a time that’s convenient for him.

He selects the branch and the service he’d like to discuss. He’s given the option to select a specific banker, so he selects Mark, whom he’s worked with before. The solution then automatically presents Harry with Mark’s availability.

Harry selects the day and time that works best for him and books his appointment.

Harry receives confirmation and reminder emails and text messages which include useful details about his appointment and the option to easily cancel or reschedule if he needs to. The banker also receives a notification of the booked appointment, and the appointment automatically appears in his schedule.

To help ensure the banker is prepared for the meeting, the bank added custom questions to the appointment booking interface to capture not only the service/product type, but additional information about customer intent, desired outcomes, and special considerations.

This data helps the banker prepare for and personalize the customer interaction, making for a better customer experience. It also gives the bank valuable insights into customer demand and preferences that it can use to refine and target their product and service offerings.

Making Your Walk-ins Feel Welcomed

While pre-scheduled appointments are great (and typically result in a higher conversion/closed sale rate), the majority of branch traffic is from walk-ins. Many bank branches have a greeter program. The job of the greeter is to make the customer feel welcomed and direct them to the person who can best assist them.

However, there are times when the greeter is not available, or when several customers enter the bank at the same time. It can be challenging for a greeter to keep track of who was first. They also rely on past experience to give the customer their best guesstimate as to wait time.

In the Verint Experience Index: Banking report, 39% of customers who had visited a branch in the last 30 days felt they waited longer than expected, with 14% admitting they walked out of a branch due to long lines or perceived wait time.1

That is a large group of customers who are frustrated before they’ve even begun their formal interaction with a branch employee.

Today there is a better way. In the video, Peggy, a young mom and customer of the bank, is out running errands. She stops by the Main Street branch and checks the self-service kiosk.

Peggy sees there’s a 15-minute wait time for service. She joins the virtual queue from the touch, and then quickly goes down the street to drop off a package at the post office.

Peggy receives text updates letting her know when her service time is approaching. She is able to run the extra errand and still be back for her session at the bank, relieving some of the stress she felt trying to get all her errands done before she needed to be home to get the kids off the bus.

She is so appreciative that when she receives a text asking her to evaluate her visit to the bank, she gladly accepts. The timeliness of the request and with the questions tailored to her specific interaction helps ensure accurate and complete responses.

Peggy’s responses are automatically tabulated and shared with the branch manager. The manager now has specific feedback she can use to further cultivate her relationship with Peggy.

Driving A Better In-Branch Experience with CX Automation

I hope I’ve shown over this blog series how CX Automation solutions can improve in-branch CX, while also increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of bank employees.

• In A Day in the Life of a Bank Branch, we discussed the importance of the branch channel.
• In 5 Ways Bank Branch Workforce Planners Improve CX While Managing Costs, we showed how Workforce Management for Bank Branches helps branch workforce planners align staff to demand to maximize utilization and market opportunity.
• In Bank Branch Managers As Choreographers; Skillfully Moving Staff to Meet Customer and Bank Goals, we shared how Workforce Management for Branch, digital Appointment Booking, and virtual Queue Management help branch managers cover for absences and balance resources across scheduled appointments and walk-ins.
• In today’s blog, we shared the impact digital Appointment Booking and virtual Queue Management can have on delivering an exceptional customer experience, so much so the customer is willing to complete a Voice of the Customer for Location survey.

To learn how these solutions work seamlessly together, watch the video, Choreographing the Bank Branch Experience, or contact us for a demo at info@verint.com.

1 Verint Customer Experience Index: Banking, 2022