Time to Change Your Swing?
Even if you’re not a golf fan, you know who Tiger Woods is.
If you are a golf fan, you may know that Tiger has changed his swing multiple times over the course of his career.
This means that one of the best golfers of all times has taken a hard look at what he is doing, decided it won’t take him to the next level, and made a change.
This is not an easy process. This involves countless hours of practice to rewire the muscle memory, strengthen new muscle groups, mentally adjust to the new movement, and develop the micro-adjustments that are key in flawless execution.
But the hours and energy spent on his swing resulted in 82 PGA Tour victories, making him one of only two players in history to win over 80 PGA Tour Titles.
Golfers change their swing because of changes to their body, changes in the competition field, and because they recognize that what has worked in the past, just isn’t getting it done anymore.
Community banks need to change their swing too.
The competition is getting stronger and more innovative.
Customers are demanding a more digital-centric relationship with their bank.
Maintaining the status quo may not allow your bank to grow, compete and survive in this new landscape.
It’s time to embrace digital as an integral part of banking.
As in golf, there is no ‘universal perfect swing’ for creating your digital experience. Although there are a few basic principles that are important for building a strong digital experience, your strategy should be tailored and tweaked to fit your bank’s unique goals and vision.
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These are a few questions that we ask to help banks develop their strategy:
· Do we make it easy for people to build a relationship with us? Is digital onboarding important to our growth strategy? If we offered online account/loan opening for both business and retail customers, how would this impact the bank’s growth?
· Are commercial customers happy and comfortable with the experience that they have with online tools? Would we be able to attract more business if we had a more intuitive/easy/robust business platform? How would that increase in business customers help the bank grow?
· What can our competitors do today that we do not? Does this impact our ability to attract new customers?
· As we grow and attract new customers, what tools will they expect of us, and can we offer that? What features are important to engage our customer base and attract new customers?
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Having the rights partners in place is one of the most important aspects of “changing your swing” and developing your digital strategy. You want to have strategic relationships with digital banking partners that are aligned with your strategy and that give you the tools that you need to be successful.
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A couple of questions to ask your digital banking partner(s):
· Who will be my main point of contact? How often will we be in touch to discuss our bank’s strategy/plans/etc.? Can I have a regular meeting with the leadership team?
· How is the roadmap developed? How is customer feedback involved in developing the roadmap? When was the last time the user experience was refreshed?
· How much flexibility do we have to integrate with a variety of digital companies? Are we tied to a set list or can you build custom integrations for us? If yes, how long do these custom projects take?
· If we realize that something is not working, how will you help us adjust and improve?
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As the industry continues to evolve and your customers rely more and more on mobile/digital channels, community banks have an amazing opportunity to be on the front lines of this change.
By developing a strong digital strategy, partnering with the right companies, and being willing to make the necessary changes, community banks will continue to be pillars of financial strength and customer service.