Independent Banker - November 2017 - 15

" If we have a customer that comes
in with a problem, we many times
will give them the information, and
they've come back and stated, 'Thank
you. I didn't know that this was possible,'
or, 'I didn't think I could be taken
advantage of,' " Johnston says. " They
look to us to be their trusted source
for information, and it's just made our
relationship that much stronger.
" To me, that's a huge part of what
we do as a community bank. We're
here to help our customers and to
be the trusted person they can look
to for keeping their money safe and
knowing what is okay and what isn't. "
Good for business, too
Though attracting new business is not
the focus of Community First Bank's
cybersecurity efforts, IT offi cer Ruby
Timm says it's a great example of
the bank's steadfast commitment to
residents of its community. " They
may not be a customer right now, but
" We're here to help our customers and to be
the trusted person they can look to for keeping
their money safe and knowing what is okay and
what isn't. "
-CHAD JOHNSTON, COMMUNITY FIRST BANK
with the information we give them,
we're hoping that some day they
may be a customer of ours, " she says.
" It's a trust issue. They're learning to
trust us and recognize that we think
they're family and we want to take
care of them. "
Bank customers can also boost
their cybersecurity smarts by reading
the community bank's monthly
newsletter. " It may be on connecting
home devices to the internet safely,
or digital spring cleaning, or 'Are
you ready for being secure online?' "
Timm says.
Johnston says cyber-risk education
goes hand in hand with internet
and mobile banking. " If you don't
educate your customers about how to
be safe online, then where will they
learn? " he says. " In order for them to
stay safe, and for you to prevent losses
to the bank, you've got to educate
your customers.
" My favorite part is seeing someone's
smile on their face when they
say, 'You know what, I got called by a
scammer and I didn't give them any
information. I just hung up.' "
It's also another way Community
First Bank delivers on its promise to
treat customers like family.
" Our tagline is 'Welcome home,'
because we want everyone to feel
like part of our family and that we're
watching out for them, " Johnston
says. " This is just one of the ways that
we try do that. "
Andrea Lahouze is deputy editor of
Independent Banker.
Safety net-Community First Bank
president Chad Johnston hands a customer
a flyer with tips for safe social media use.
ICBA member resource:
Cyber & Data Security
Toolkit
For tips on teaching employees
and customers how to spot
the signs of a scam, check
out the Cyber & Data Security
Toolkit in ICBA's Knowledge
Vault at icba.org/education/
knowledge-vault.
____________
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Independent Banker - November 2017

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