Three Reasons Your Bank Needs a Call Center Now

In my conversations with community banks, I'm surprised at how many still feel they are "too small" for a call center. On the contrary, smaller banks should be the first to move toward a centralized telephone point of contact for customers. Here are three reasons why.


1) Optimize Staffing


2) Improve Service Quality


3) Support Your Virtual Branch


Optimize Staffing
Old habits die hard. Many community banks are clinging to the idea of a dedicated receptionist at each location, whose job it is to greet customers, answer the phone, and distribute the calls. As branch volume drops, it is likely that most of the people your receptionist greets are salespeople or other visitors. And those all important phone calls? Most businesses, including banks, have moved to phone systems that feature DID - each extension can be dialed directly from outside the bank. Thus, bank employees can provide customers with a number that rings on their desk, or even a cell phone number.  The concept of a receptionist prevents you from providing excellent service (customers want to talk to someone with solutions, not a traffic cop), and artificially inflates salary costs. In an upcoming issue, we will discuss branches and branch staffing in detail, but here's a glimpse: your branches will be staffed with associates who are cross trained on all products and services, and they will meet each customer or prospect at the door - not wait behind a desk or teller line.



Service Quality
The key to better service is addressing and resolving the customer's issue, not passing them around the bank trying to find someone who can. Call center employees can be trained to handle a wide variety of customer inquiries, which improves service and reduces costs. Over time, you will gain a better understanding of why customers are calling, and be able to proactively address at least some of these issues. Much like the new branch associate mentioned earlier, these call center staff will be "super bankers" and will go a long way toward increasing customer satisfaction. They will also build credibility with customers, allowing them to influence customers toward self-service delivery channels.


Support Your Virtual Branch
National advertising has set the stage for 24 hour customer service. "Jake from State Farm" nattily dressed in khakis and red polo, is awake and ready to help at 3 a.m. Eventually, your customer base is going to expect that too. For now, expanding service hours to meet your customers' expectations is important. Don't panic - I didn't say you needed 24x7 coverage yet, just that you need to think about it. The modern call center will support customer contact via phone, email, on-line chat, Twitter, and Facebook, to name a few. This is a far cry from simply deciding who answers the phone at the branch. It is important to start planning for this. In fact, recent studies indicate that chat from mobile devices will be a huge component of customer service and interaction in coming months.


Here's the reality: you are promoting and encouraging the use of delivery channels that customers have access to at all hours. In order to ensure that customers embrace these technologies, you have to ensure that you can support them. Experience teaches us that a successful first use of any new technology is critical. The best "plan B" for a poor support experience is quick, responsive follow up when the customer reaches out for support. Expanded support hours is not just about supporting technology. It is about making your bank more accessible to busy customers at hours that are convenient to them. In the past, you may have opened your drive in early, or kept it open late - its the same idea. Convenience. If you are ever in doubt, remember that customers will opt for convenience every time.


Here are five things you can do now:

1. Track the nature and volume of calls received, by location.
   
   
   
2. Determine if your current phone system supports call center features including identification of the number being called, the number of the caller, and the ability to selectively route calls, and roll calls over if certain lines aren't answered. The goal here is to get to an inbound caller to the right person the first time, and get their issue resolved quickly.
   
   
   
3. Determine if your core vendor offers a “call center” inquiry screen. Such screens feature shortcuts to allow staff to quickly find information that is commonly requested by callers. It will serve as a precursor to more formal call center technology.
   
   
   
4. Start the discussion in your bank about how you can improve service to those customers who choose to use voice communications to reach you.
   
   
   
5. Consider supporting non-voice contacts, including email, chat, and Twitter
   

Your branch network can remain a strength for your organization, if you leverage it properly. When supported in conjunction with the electronic delivery channels your customers are demanding, it gives you a tremendous advantage over the "Internet Only" banks. If you don't leverage your branch network, it becomes a liability that increases your costs and diminishes your value in the eyes of the customer. A well staffed call center is an important step toward providing the levels of support customers demand. If you've already taken this step, I commend you. If not, please do give it some consideration.


If you'd like to continue this conversation, visit my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/thetechnologyadvisor, or tweet me @techadvisor, and share your comments, success stories, or opposing viewpoints. I look forward to hearing from you!

Business Continuity Planning Thoughts

It has been a while since I talked about business continuity planning.  Remember that effective contingency planning involves three components: prevention, mitigation, and recovery. Prevention, including preparedness, is critically important.  While there are events that you have no control over, there are many that you can prevent (such as investing in redundant computer hardware) or minimize (by anticipating and preparing for obvious scenarios)

We're approaching the peak of the hurricane season, and winter - with its ice storms and blizzards - is not far behind.  Severe weather can impact utilities, transportation and other services.  Now is the time to assess preparedness at four levels . . . your organization, your employees, your suppliers, and your customers.

Prolonged utility outages can quickly create urgent situations.  Your business has to address continuation of services at some minimal level.  An important part of that continuation is ensuring that staff is available.  When your employees are prepared, and thus less concerned about the basic needs of their families, they are more likely to be available for work.  Depending on the extent to which your business may be affected, you may choose to invest in generators to be able to operate at least some of your facilities "off the grid."  Other key areas include identifying the minimal level of service you expect to offer, as well as which locations might be the most important to reopen.

Preparation for retail customers and employees is similar.  Basic needs, including plenty of non-perishable foods, lots of drinking water, and other key supplies should be stockpiled before a disaster, as they will be hard to find once something has happened.  I'm a firm believer that your business can shine in the eyes of customers and employees by encouraging and facilitating this level of preparation through education and cooperation with local emergency preparedness agencies.  www.ready.gov remains a great source of information. 

When customers of your business are also businesses, you must consider, in your continuation and recovery efforts, how to help them continue.  Again, education and preparation are key.  Many non-regulated businesses have no plans at all for recovery from a disaster.  Anything you can do to improve their chances of survival will pay dividends later.

Suppliers, much like commercial customers, employees, and retail customers, must factor into your planning and preparation.  Depending on the nature of your business, access to raw materials, outsourced processing services, or other resources may be critical.

Remember that the goal of all business continuity planning is to quickly recover your ability to serve your customers when something happens.

Clearly, I've just scratched the surface, but my main goal is to get you thinking about being prepared - instead of waiting for something to happen.  I'll have more updates in the coming days. If you'd like to discuss your particular situation, please contact me.

trent@trentfleming.com

@techadvisor

www.trentfleming.com

Managing Deposit Account Liabilities

In this issue, I want to point out some potential liabilities if your staff fails to properly handle routine tasks.  I recently learned about a case involving employee theft from a business. This was a classic case, whereby a "trusted employee" leveraged his autonomy in the bookkeeping arena to steal, and cover his tracks.  Discovery was delayed by well over a year, and then, as is often the case, only by accident did the owner realize what was done.  The business, of course, claims that the bank should have found the fraud, and stopped it.  The bank, in like fashion, feels, and frankly has the strength of the UCC (article 4-406) behind it, that discovery should have come more quickly, that the business owner was effectively complicit by not providing proper oversight.  It will be interesting to watch. It is noteworthy that the employee actually went to the trouble (and thus had ample opportunity) to alter the images of checks written to himself once the statements arrived.  Also noteworthy: the bank was unable to provide proper signature cards, corporate resolutions, and in some cases, images of the backs of checks (instrumental in clearly understanding what the checks were actually used for).   At issue here is whether the courts will find that the bank's failure to maintain good records creates any liability for them in what is otherwise a pretty clear case.

 Also in recent days, a court has rendered a verdict in favor of a financial institution in a case regarding loss over a wire transfer transaction.  Here, the business had actually "refused" the bank's offer of dual control technology, requiring that one person submit a wire, and another approve it.  To the bank's credit, all of this was documented, including a letter from the customer declining the dual control methods.  When the business experienced a loss, via an unauthorized wire transfer, they still looked to the bank for restitution.  The court denied it.

Here's the link to the article:

http://www.americanbanker.com/issues/178_66/court-sides-with-bancorpsouth-against-wire-transfer-fraud-victim-1058073-1.html?ET=americanbanker:e14846:2320180a:&st=email&utm_source=editorial&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=BTN_Weekly_07171

This led me consider how diligent your staff might be in ensuring that account records and documents, such as signature cards, corporate resolutions, faxed requests for wire transfers, etc, are complete and properly maintained.  It would be a good time to re-evaluate your bank's policies and procedures - and your training - around this area.  We all know that attention to detail suffers over time, unless the important of those details are re-iterated.  

Here are some key issues to consider

> Retention of Paid Checks.  Refer to your state's guidelines for record retention, but generally there is a requirement that you retain the source document, or a legible copy, for seven years after posting.  This includes legible copies of the front and back of each item.  In addition to the retention period, note the term legible.  Be sure that your check imaging system is identifying, and thus allowing you to return, any items that are not sufficiently readable to meet the IQA (Image Quality) standard. 

> Complete Signature Cards.  Often, the practice of opening a new account involves obtaining signatures over a period of time.  While this might seem understandable, especially for a larger organization that may have multiple authorized signers, it is not good banking practice.  In general, you should not begin servicing the account for which these signature cards are intended, without completely and properly filled out signature cards.  Make a trip to the business, and have management present to you each individual that will be a signatory.  Obtain and document proper ID for each.  Even on consumer accounts, resist the urge to let one spouse sign, and take the card home for the other to sign.  If you begin servicing the account without the necessary documentation, you take away your leverage for getting that documentation.

> Complete, Detailed Corporate Resolutions.  For any business concern, you should, in addition to signature cards, prepare and have signed a corporate resolution.  This should set forth the terms and conditions of the agreement, including services to be rendered, references to fee schedules, and expectations of performance for both parties.  In today's world, references to once unheard of issues like Internet Security and Virus protection, enforced dual control of access and access codes, and the like, should be in your corporate resolution.  

When adding new products and services like cash management, ACH Origination, or remote deposit capture, prepare and execute addenda that detail the terms and conditions of using those services.

> Electronic Solutions.  As referenced above, these must be appropriately deployed . . . and properly utilized by customers.  Dual control, separation of duties, proper Internet security are all matters that must be agreed to.  Rather than dictating operating practices too closely, be sure that you give broad guidance, and then assess compliance.  Banks must be careful not to exert "management control" particularly if there is a lending relationship, but can certainly give good guidance.  You can also (this is difficult to think about, but becoming a reality) turn off access to all or part of your electronic solutions if you feel a customer is a risk.  This would include customers without proper Internet Security and Virus Protection on their own networks, or those who refuse to utilize the security measures your system provides. 

>  Bank Controls Over Internet Activity.  The software that drives your commercial banking solutions includes parameters by which you can monitor and manage the risk associated with such systems.  Examples include, but are not limited to, the number of ACH origination transactions, average daily deposit limits, and wire transfer dollar amounts and frequency.  Leveraging data you have from processing your customer's accounts, and working with customers to understand their legitimate business practices, you can build in these controls in such a way that you protect both your customer's and your bank's interests.

 I hope you will share this article with your staff, and in so doing, begin a process of inspecting current practices to realign them with your polices, and reduce your risks. Remember that the most successful organizations are those who identify best practices, and strive, through training and education, to execute on them well.  Should you need help in these areas, I am always available.

Remember that I am not an attorney, and the above should be construed as operational, not legal, advice.  Please involve your counsel in any decisions involving proper interpretation of rules, regulations, and laws.

Severe Weather and Your Contingency Plan

Here in the United States, last week was "Severe Weather Awareness Week" with each day featuring a different type of severe weather that might impact you.  Tornadoes are particularly challenging for us due to their sudden appearance, and erratic behavior.  Forecasting is improving, and many areas are benefiting from more timely warnings than ever before.

As you work to enhance and test your contingency plans, remember to include attention to matters that may arise suddenly, affecting not only your staff, but customers, vendors, or others who are in your facilities when a sudden crisis - like a fire or a tornado warning - arises.

Your planning and testing activities should include attention to non-employees who may be in the building.  Both fire and tornadoes create a sudden need for action.  Fire creates a need for an orderly, safe evacuation, while tornadoes create a need for shelter.  By considering the "non-employee" individuals in your planning and testing activities, you increase the chance of protecting them as well as your employees.  Doing so makes you the best possible corporate citizen, and reduces both reputation risk and legal liability.

Just another insight into the complex world of contingency planning.

Widespread Security Breach of Bank Executive Data

Breaking news overnight about what may be a serious breach of data, including the online identities and passwords of several thousand bankers.  Rather than fretting about whether you are involved, first move to change all of your online passwords, both personal and bank related.  Move away from simple words toward nonsensical phrases that are sprinkled with special characters.  "arctic01penguins#%" for example.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/anonymous-posts-file-claiming-to-have-information-from-4000-bank-execs/2013/02/05/8f8b0488-6f9b-11e2-ac36-3d8d9dcaa2e2_story.html


More as this story unfolds.

The current issue of my banking newsletter "Trent's Comments" is now available on my website.  Visit www.trentfleming.com and select the Newsletter tab.  From there, you can download several recent issues, as well as a document that summarizes each issue going back to 2010.  I welcome your feedback and comments.

Planning Ahead: Budgeting vs Strategy

Here's a year end thought for you: budgeting is not strategy. While preparing and managing to a budget is an important part of your "looking forward" activities, don't let your annual budget substitute for a real strategic plan. Budgets lack vision, passion, and can't convey leadership directives.  Strategies need to clearly outline Executive Management's vision of the markets to be served, the types of products and services to be offered, and efforts to establish and enhance your company's brand in the marketplace.  From these strategies, clear tactical guidelines can be developed for executing initiatives and affecting real change.

Most strategic planning efforts fall down on execution.  By establishing clear tactical directives, naming responsible parties, and demanding regular progress updates, you can avoid the "dusty plan on the shelf" trap that so many fall into.

Often, an outside moderator can offer value by preparing for and conducting planning sessions, aiding in the development of tactical initiatives, and mentoring your key players to actually get things done.  Don't be afraid to ask for help - successful strategic planning is worth the investment.