Independent Banker - December 2023 - 48

" Bankers want that kind of
relationship business, " he says.
" The goal is to create a customer
experience so that it's more than
just a branch where you go to do
transactions. You want a branch that
attracts people, and they want to go
to the physical location. "
The benefits of branching out
While it's true that consumers
increasingly handle simple
transactions, such as checking
balances, digitally, they usually want
to talk to a person face to face for
more complex issues.
" What's walking through our
doors are the more complicated
transactions, such as questions
on return items or fraud on debit
cards, " reports Dan Combs, senior
EVP, chief investment officer of First
State Community Bank (FSCB) in
Farmington, Mo.
Josh Carter, director of retail for
the $3.8 billion-asset community
bank, notes that this has opened
doors for stronger relationships
that strengthen the bank's
market position.
" We've built relationships with
our customers. It makes deposits a
lot stickier, " he says. " We may not
have the highest CD rate in town, but
we hold those relationships because
of having locations where our
customers live. "
To make branches more conducive
to building relationships, banks
are renovating and updating their
physical spaces. In general, designs
are shifting to a more open aesthetic.
Jim Caliendo, president and CEO
of PWCampbell, a design-build
firm that specializes in the financial
services industry, says, " Branch
design is becoming more open for
counseling opportunities and sitting
across from clients. "
Altoona First Savings Bank in
Altoona, Penn., is currently working
with PWCampbell to create designs
that will be used initially on its
" branches signify To These markeTs ThaT
we're here for The long haul and we're
serious abouT being in These markeTs. "
-Gregory Wall, Community State Bank
headquarters and then at some of
its five branches.
" Instead of having 25-foot
teller stations, for example, we're
designing pods that will take up
significantly less space and provide
an opportunity to move into those
areas for confidential conversations, "
explains Troy Campbell, president
and CEO of the $300 million-asset
community bank. " We are focused
on relationships, as opposed to
transactions, in our banking, and this
will reflect that commitment. "
Open spaces and room for
conversations comports with a
vision of banking that's more
retail-oriented. According to
Caliendo, banking remains a peopleto-people
business. " You just don't
get people as customers because you
have the best rate, " he says. " Service
is involved. The people are the key.
The look of the space, the feel, the
perception, all of that is the street
value your branch presents. "
Changing branches, changing roles
The increased emphasis on in-depth
customer interactions is affecting
branch staffing practices as well. In
St. Cloud, Minn., $900 million-asset
Falcon National Bank has moved
tellers away from a transactional role
to full-service retail bankers.
" Our retail staff are more engaged
and are empowered to make [product
and service] recommendations based
on relationships they have with
customers, " says Mark Nettesheim,
chief sales officer.
Altoona First Savings Bank is
also moving to more consultative
roles for frontline staff, and this has
affected both its recruitment and
hiring decisions. " We've historically
looked to hire people with banking
experience, " Campbell says. " Now
we are looking at how we can attract
people who haven't had banking
experience but are really strong on
the retail, customer side of things. "
Branch design reflects bank strategy
Strategists are recognizing how to
use design to communicate the bank
brand more effectively. NewGround's
Blair argues that branches are not
really about the physical buildings
but about the bank's business and
retail strategy.
" It's about what the bank is trying
to accomplish at that site, who they're
trying to serve and how we speak to
that, " he says. " The branch should be
a branded experience that serves who
they want to serve as customers and
creates an experience that attracts
and retains those customers. "
NewGround recently partnered
with FSCB, which has 56 branches
THE
STATE OF
BRANCH
ACTIVITY
According to
J.D. Power, bank
customers are slowly
starting to return
to their branches,
nearly reaching the
number of branch
visits regularly made
prior to the COVID-19
pandemic (2017-2019).
48 // ICBA Independent Banker // December 2023
Independent Banker - December 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Independent Banker - December 2023
