Independent Banker - February 2022 - 75

" Innovation is the blending of what we've
traditionally done well-a very high-quality,
high-touch customer experience-with the
modern technology required to be relevant. "
-GREG OHLENDORF, FIRST COMMUNITY BANK AND TRUST
information to you because it's easy.
I don't want personally identifiable
information sent by email, but secure
email is clunky. Botdoc introduced
a less cumbersome and advanced
solution that takes that information
and secures it but also offers a far
better customer experience. It is a
unique idea and super innovative.
I knew I wanted to work with them
right away.
Tracy Fox: Innovation in the
community banking space is Greg's
big passion, and it came out every
time we talked.
A solid relationship addresses
pain points and strengthens the
customer relationship.
Karl Falk: For any business, if you're
not thinking about the customer
and understanding the frustrations,
you're missing the mark. That's what
community banks do really well: Put
the customer first.
Fox: That's true. With Botdoc, First
Community Bank and Trust has not
only been able to close transactions
more quickly and efficiently; they
also have shared that it's taken their
customer experience to a whole new
level. Not too long ago, we were
invited to do a demo for 40 or 50
community banks in Illinois, and
those bankers shared their challenges
with collecting information from
customers in a secure fashion. Greg
says that it was like looking in a
rearview mirror, because those are
problems he no longer has thanks to
the fintech relationship.
Ohlendorf: Once we enabled Botdoc,
we got rid of our cumbersome legacy
product, and customers have loved it.
They are blown away because Botdoc
is so simple. For example, with the
Paycheck Protection Program [PPP],
customers were so stressed out, and
what could be worse than having a
complicated process for them? With
Botdoc, they were able to get their
information to us quickly. It took the
friction out of the process. It had a
huge customer impact.
A partner must scale with the
bank's needs.
Falk: We continue to evolve our
solutions to strengthen the bank's
impact. We want it to be built into
cores, loan origination systems and
other platforms.
Fox: This ongoing development stems
from the feedback we receive from our
customers. For example, Greg will call
my cell phone and say, " Hey, what do
you think about this? Could we do this
or that? " He's always exploring how
we can make this better, address a
friction point or solve a problem. In a
partner relationship, you can explore
things no one else is exploring, and we
continue to do that.
Ohlendorf: I think attending the
ThinkTECH Accelerator helps
you find those true partners. It
is so unbelievably powerful to
hear the passion behind what the
entrepreneurs are doing and what
we can share with them. It truly
is a collaborative process where
we learn from them, and they
learn from us. That makes for a
powerful relationship. 
Colleen Morrison is a writer in Maryland.
Plan to join us for the 2022 ICBA
ThinkTECH Accelerator
Since its inception in 2019, the ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator has
connected the most innovative, cutting-edge fintech companies
in the world with more than 1,000 community bankers and
industry leaders. Learn more about the 11 companies selected
for this year's program and sign up to participate and lend your
perspectives as we shape the solutions of tomorrow for the
benefit of your bank and your customers at icba.org/accelerator
independentbanker.org Q 75
http://www.icba.org/accelerator http://www.independentbanker.org
Independent Banker - February 2022

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