Before COVID-19 and the advent of digital banking, financial institutions (FIs) were reactive to leveraging new customer service technologies. When members and customers would grow frustrated with in-person and call center transactions, a new technology would be adopted. FIs didn’t want to lose the high touch, personalized service levels they desired, but weren’t getting the most from their new tools due to quick rollouts or impersonal digital experiences from emerging vendors.
Now users and FIs can have the best of both worlds. Like physical interactions, digital interactions can provide simple, personalized experiences. Innovative technology has drastically strengthened banking relationships, extending opportunities to connect with consumers beyond in-person interactions. This blog examines where FIs can take advantage of those opportunities and give users access to the first-class digital experiences they want.
The rise of digital banking has made a number of once common banking experiences unacceptable for users. Long call center hold times, fractured digital account opening, and impersonal communication delivered digitally or in-person have gone from mild annoyances to deal breakers.
From these changing tolerances comes a significant global trend of users wanting to self-serve. The ability to self-serve meets many user expectations and helps FIs engage with users at a lower cost. But FIs are still driving users to abandon online self-service and call customer service centers due to limited opportunities to grow their banking relationships with users.
Not only does this fail to meet user expectations, it creates more work for the FI. Users who are directed to call for service are likely on either the FI’s website or mobile app, or close to a laptop or smartphone where they could easily connect online. The customer service experience need not be fully self-service, as that can cause other frustrations. If a call center service representative can connect with a user to see where they are on the site, the representative can help them navigate and complete processes. Representatives should have the ability to pick up from where users have left off to help them avoid providing information multiple times and alleviate further frustrations. This kind of experience is faster and provides user coaching, reducing the need to call for support in the future.
FIs often deploy point solutions (i.e., chat or cobrowsing) to support their digital properties. This is only a small part of a true digital customer service environment. For example, point solutions do not allow seamless transition from a bot to a voice or video call.
Call center agents and users can leverage digital and offline channels in one connected experience. They’ll just need to be using a digital banking platform with seamless customer service solutions and integrations that easily support users at their point of need in the most convenient channel.
Integrating solutions with the digital experience can be difficult and expensive with less flexible platform providers. Legacy vendors that deliver their digital experiences through different technology platforms, user interfaces, data models and security requirements rack up costs and effort for users on both sides of the transaction.
Modern digital banking platforms now offer fully integrated solutions via APIs and software development kits (SDKs) built on a foundation of banking level security, enabling seamless transitions between all forms of digital user engagement for a superior user experience in a low-cost single-vendor platform.
Through integrations, FIs can now provide superior assistance to callers and online users through data-rich guided conversations with live representatives and automated AI virtual assistants. Representatives can identify high-value website visitors, react to inbound communication requests, or proactively reach out via live chat, video, or audio. With omnichannel digital engagement solutions like Glia, representatives can gain visual context and on-screen collaboration to maximize satisfaction and guide users to positive outcomes
Glia’s solution enriches user touchpoints on web, mobile, or phone calls with communication choices. Other integrations or built-in digital banking platform features can also help FIs reinvent how they support users online through other means. From platform-native security that protects user accounts and identities to Abe.ai‘s AI-powered Virtual Financial Assistant to Apptentive’s precise targeting, surveys, sentiment analysis, and feedback collection, FIs have several options at their disposal to modernize their customer service and meet their users’ expectations. All that’s needed is a digital banking platform that allows for deep integrations and a seamless user experience for maximum engagement.
The way to transforming the digital service experience starts with selecting a future-facing digital banking platform to host the integrations that give users what they want. The ideal platform should allow secure banking anywhere, anytime via a personalized, effortless experience. By facilitating omnichannel engagement and providing support with AI-powered chatbots, FIs minimize their call center load while delivering a personalized experience anytime.
Interested in learning more? Contact us to explore customer service solutions for your bank or credit union.
