The pandemic has put certain critical aspects of the banking universe in the spotlight, including that of customer experience – a vital factor during extreme times. Imperative therefore to re-visit how customers’ digital experiences can be made frictionless during an exceptionally difficult phase.
“Will the bank branch survive?” has been a decade long (if not more) topic of debate. Physical branch networks worldwide are being impacted by the shift to digital transactions. However, there has also been rising customer expectations for better in-person experiences at branches, shaped by other retail experiences.
Until recently, ‘the cloud’ used to be a bugbear for the banking industry. Banks were hesitant to move vital data and information from in-house environments to the cloud, least of all for financial crime risk management. However, technology advances have made banks relook at conventional models.
Trust, in-person interactions, reasonably good response levels, absence of alternative options – were some of the reasons that brought people to banks before the era of digital and banking domain monopsony. The strategy worked well and it helped create predictable growth and profitability – until the level playing field tilted.
