Why Omnichannel and Digital Banking will Not Succeed at Your Credit Union or Bank

Omnichannel and digital banking is such a massive initiative, how do credit union and bank executives get their head around it? There are so many parts, where do you start? Have you ever sat down to create a list of solutions today’s members/customers expect, or will soon expect from their credit union or bank?

Here is my list in no particular order. What have I missed?

1.    Data and ID security

2.    Easy but secure authentication

3.    Continuity of transactions, applications and services across all channels

4.    Online banking

5.    Mobile banking

6.    Personal financial management (PFM)

a.    Spending learning and predictions

b.    Expense tracking, tagging and management

c.    Retirement

d.    Budgeting

e.    Investment

f.     Education

7.    Online forms that adapt to the device accessing the form

8.    Process workflow

9.    Management defined business rules

10.  Automated decisioning - credit and accounts

11.  Electronic document management and signature

12.  Data aggregation and analytics

13.  Voice command recognition

14.  Digital assistant - predictive

15.  Digital credit origination - instant approval, access and funding

16.  Credit servicing (payments, balances, due dates, payoff balances, and remaining term)

17.  Digital account opening - instant approval, access and funding

18.  Account funding (ACH, debit card, credit card, PayPal)

19.  Digital account management

a.    Digital account-change records

b.    Digital account switching

c.    Digital account lockdown service to freeze access that freezes the account until a passcode and/or shared secret is provided

e.    Antivirus and spyware protection

f.     Onboarding program with quick-start guide

20.  Video - Skype, FaceTime, Online (PC, mobile and tablet)

21.  Call center

22.  Smart ATM

23.  24/7 message chat, email, text support, voice message

24.  Social media monitoring and contribution

25.  Abandoned application management

26.  Web, ATM, phone and branch reloadable pre-paid cards

27.  Prepaid ATM/debit cards with web, branch, phone and ATM reloading

28.  Real-time core data processing system (no end of day batch)

29.  Behavioral predictive analytics

30.  Real-time credit manager (regular preapproved credit offers and notification with instant approval and access)

31.  Push text notifications and verification

32.  Balance and event trigger notification

33.  Email and text rate updates/alerts

34.  Real-time money movement

a.    Send, receive, spend, save, mobile deposit, bill pay, photo bill pay, P2P, PayPal, wire transfer, app

35.  Personal banking portal

36.  Digital document vault

37.  Blogs and custom web content, personal finance microsites with information and tools for key segments such as

a.    College students/new graduates

b.    Empty-nesters

c.    Families with younger children

d.    High school students

e.    Middle school students

f.    Movers

g.    New homeowners

h.    Newlyweds

i.     Primary/elementary students

j.     Retirees

k.    Retirement planning

l.     Singles

38.  Account aggregation
39.  P2P lending
40.  E-statements
41.  E-Receipts
42.  Loyalty program and sweepstakes
43.  YouTube/Vimeo video - educational and product/service demo
44.  Teen/tween banking with parents
45.  Mobile app with youth UI
46.  Credit score and credit score enhancement
47.  Credit and ID theft monitoring and alerts
48.  No fee overdraft protection
49.  Customer relationship management (CRM) system
50.  Just in-time one off marketing/offer
51.  Secure charitable fund raising
52.  Exception management system
53.  Digital appointment tool for scheduling banker meetings
54.  Digital newsletter and newsletter archives
55.  iBeacon and digital fence
56.  Relationship pricing
57.  Relationship product packaging
58.  Investment club support
59.  A user interface that is shared by the member/customer and staff
60.  Online help functions

a.    Auto-response to all queries

b.    Form-based queries

c.    Departmental email addresses/phone numbers

d.    A forum where the community can help each other

e.    Site-search with filters

f.     Executive email addresses

g.    Video information/tutorials

h.    Context-sensitive HELP

i.     Demos (online and mobile)

j.     Virtual suggestion box

Head spinning? How can a credit union or non-national or non-super regional bank compete? How can they afford all these solutions? How can they evaluate all these solutions? How can they implement all these solutions while also knowing innovation and the resulting list grows daily? How do you plan for the next solution that you do not know is coming? Credit unions and most banks simply do not have the resources, expertise and capital to continue in what is amounting to the old arms race between the Soviet Union and the United States. 

So what can credit unions and banks that do not want to be merger candidates and want to survive do? The technology race to the top is not a winnable solution for most banks and credit unions. Out branching is not a winnable solution. That leaves a couple of choices:

1. Develop a niche that is not reliant or expecting the latest technology solutions - You may not be their primary financial institution, but your niche is profitable and long-term sustainable enough to remain strong. A credit union or community bank in a small rural town is not a sustainable long-term niche. Walmart loves your market and demographic.
2. Partner with other credit unions or banks to develop a technology strategy, roadmap, funding, R&D, hosting, implementation and support plan that serves each of the participating credit unions or banks.

Partnering with your competitors or with credit unions and banks outside your service area may seem like a scary and radical proposition. It is, but what is the alternative? Can your credit union and bank really stay on top of and fund the technology solutions members and customers expect? 

I have used this data in several of my blogs because it speaks to exactly what is transpiring today. The data is clear and the members/customers have spoken by their actions. According to the millennial disruption index study, Chase, Citi, BofA and Wells Fargo are among the ten least loved brands by Millennials. According to FICO's Forging Lasting Banking Relationships with Millennials, 68% of Millennials use Chase, Citi, BofA or Wells Fargo as their primary bank. Only 15% use a credit union and only 9% have a regional bank as a primary bank. More Millennials bank at national banks than any other generational group (55% for Gen X and 43% for Boomers). Why, because the big national banks have a digital strategy and are leading the market with the implementation of their strategy.

Credit unions and banks are losing the battle for the next profitable generation of customers, the Millennials. Millennials, 18 to 35 age bracket now make-up the largest age segment of our population, passing the baby boomers. If you don’t have a plan to meet their banking needs, then your credit union’s or the bank's future looks bleak because there are plenty of traditional and emerging non-traditional financial service providers that will. 

Are you ready to partner with other banks or credit unions? In addition to achieving technological economies of scale, another part of the plan can be to achieve economies of scale in back-office processing. Why do you want to own the technology and back-office processing? Because you always have? Instead, why not focus on marketing, front-end operations, brand, and differentiation through the service and support you provide. Just because technology and back-office operations are shared does not mean that the credit unions and banks that are part of the shared technology and back-office support team need to look, operate or execute the same as the other participants.

Lead with creativity, marketing and service and you will have happy members/customers and you will not have the burden of technology and back-office operations. 

Is there any doubt credit union and bank consolidation is real? Is there any doubt the NCUA and FDIC are encouraging through regulation consolidation of banks and credit unions. Industry experts forecast that in 15 years the number of remaining banks and credit union could be reduced by as much as 50%. What is your credit union's or bank's plan to be one of those remaining credit unions or banks? 

"United we stand, divided we fall", Aesop. "Innovation is taking two things that already exist and putting them together in a new way", Tom Freston. Wise words or blasphemy?

Agree or disagree with this proposition? Why? Is it workable? What are the problems? What would stop its implementation? Pipe dream or viable solution of the future?