MAY - 202019We Go Together (or Having It All): Combining Tech and In-Person Banking in the NeighborHubFor a large and growing share of the population, technology permeates nearly all aspects of our daily lives. We connect with work via smartphones. We shop online. We listen to podcasts while exercising. Tech influences our conversations, our exposure to sports and the arts, our abilities to navigate rush-hour traffic ­ you name it. So, for those us of in banking, we are not surprised to see the steady march of customers to online accounts, credit applications, wealth management, and nearly all things financial services. We anticipated it. We prepared for it. And we are continually executing on new and better tech-driven services for our clients. Connection first, transaction second.In an increasingly complex and competitive world, clients now as much as ever before rely on us for guidance and advice, for the expertise needed to make educated decisions about everything from short-term loans to retirement investing that could span decades. Often, we find, people like to meet in person to carefully examine their options with a banking expert at their side. As such, while we may need fewer locations, bank branches remain essential, and we expect they will last for years to come.But they must be designed with teams much different than just a few years ago. And banking entities must brace themselves to continually tweak and upgrade layouts and features to stay abreast of advancing technology and clients' evolving preferences.Traditional branch designs emphasized conventional teller setups. But these can be physical impediments to the connections that build the relationships at the core of our work. As the nature of traffic in branches continues to evolve, the CXO INSIGHTSBy Nicole Sherman, SVP, Market Region Manager, Columbia Bank Nicole Sherman
< Page 9 | Page 11 >