“We know customers who set appointments with their banker are typically more satisfied than those who don’t.” That’s according to Shawn Niehaus, SVP and director, retail financial centers and One Bank at Fifth Third who recently spoke to ABA Banking Journal.
The recent article, featuring Engageware customers and other industry thought leaders, explores how appointment scheduling went from a nice-to-have offering to a must-have feature amid the pandemic. Bank leaders detail how banking by appointment became a lifeline to customers when lobbies shut down in March, and how the benefits that financial institutions have reaped in the last few months from online scheduling are poised to deliver lasting business results. Those results include smoother and more convenient interactions for banking customers. In addition, bank employees are able to do their job better, and banks are seeing an uptick in service demand.
Customers Who Set Appointments Are More Satisfied
As to how appointment scheduling raises the bar for service experiences, Niehaus goes on to add, “The customer is prepared for the conversation and the banker is prepared. Our bankers can do the prework to look at customers notes and what the customers want. My goal is to make things as efficient as possible. Everything is fully integrated, resulting in a more consistent, efficient experience.”
Niehaus also notes how appointment scheduling is building a strong omnichannel foundation. “Our customers can open many accounts digitally but may still want to talk to someone. They can talk to a banker to confirm the account is the best fit for them, verify features and determine next steps. This technology can add value to virtually any channel.”
In addition to smoother experiences, Engageware banking customers also report increase in banking activity. That includes account openings or mortgage applications, which they credit, in part, to scheduling’s ability to put the power in the hands of the customer to choose how and when to interact.
For example, Regions Bank saw a 72 percent increase in appointment volume from February to April of this year, including a 350 percent increase in account openings.
Bill Clark, CEO of Engageware, adds his insight into the power of scheduling to build customer loyalty and support healthy business practices. “The ability to book an appointment with the person who can resolve an issue is powerful. Whether that’s an expert in mortgage or business banking or a universal branch associate, you can address the customer’s need in real time. We see strong indications that appointment banking impacts Net Promoter Score. For instance, Del-One saw an 18 percent increase in NPS after appointment implementation.”
Read the full article here.
Learn more about the shift to banking-by-appointment as more financial institutions rethink their growth and customer loyalty strategies. Download our Banking-by-Appointment industry brief to see how omnichannel appointment scheduling has become a critical factor to modernize, drive rapid ROI and deliver remarkable service.