Bankers have a tough job. They’re part product expert, part financial advisor, and part customer service agent. And if they’re reliant on legacy tools to do their jobs, things can quickly get much more complicated.
When those legacy tools were originally developed, the needs of banks and bankers were a lot different. There were fewer products and most transactions happened face-to-face. Over the years the makers of these products have done their best to add in features and functionality to address current needs, but most of the time they’ve fallen short.
Those patchwork solutions resulted in siloed systems that are complicated to navigate and require lots of manual work. Bankers are stuck entering in information multiple times, manually following-up on reviews, and overall have less time to focus on the most important part of their business: the customer.
These everyday challenges are a big part of why Blend developed Banker Workspace. In a recent webinar, our team went through some of the key elements that make it so powerful and well-suited to the needs of modern day bankers.
If you’re curious to learn more, you can watch the event in its entirety below:
Personalized solutions
When digital is an option, customers come in-branch because they’re looking for a more personalized experience. However, in order for bankers to offer the personalized solutions customers want, they need time to get to know the customer better, as well as access to data to better understand their unique needs.
That’s where Banker Workspace can help. Via popups, bankers can see where a customer is in an application, and even be prompted with the right questions to move the customer forward. Along with tools that help keep the focus on the customer, there are also other features that can uncover additional insights to help further tailor the experience.
For example, if a customer is applying for a personal loan Blend can do a soft credit pull to find accounts a customer could potentially pay off with the loan. Blend will even show how much they could potentially save by consolidating the debt vs their current payments.
Automated assists
One of the biggest challenges bankers face with legacy technology is the amount of manual work required to complete a given task or application. Not only is manual work time-consuming, but it also introduces the possibility of error, which can lead to even more work and longer wait times for customers.
With Banker Workspace you’re able to automate a lot of tasks that have classically been manual. For example, if someone is applying for a credit card and gets flagged for additional review you can simply send the customer a text and they can enter the information needed to complete the review.
Once they’ve completed the necessary steps, the application is automatically updated on the banker’s end and they can continue the application process. Blend can also access a number of third-party applications to verify things like income and employment.
Banker Workspace also lets bankers prefill applications using existing customer data. Meaning applications for existing customers can be completed incredibly quickly. And when new customers are applying for multiple products, bankers can simply prefill any additional applications using data entered in the initial application. Bankers only need to get any additional information that wasn’t part of the original application.
Omnichannel options
Sometimes it seems like branches and digital tools are presented as being in competition with one another — an either/or proposition. But the truth is that they’re complimentary. Digital tools are great for basic transactions that are more routine while branches often serve as consultation centers for customers.
It’s even quite common for a customer to start an application for an account online and then go into a branch to get more details. It can be a really great experience if your digital and in-branch tools are connected, and a really poor one if they’re not.
With Banker Workspace, bankers can pull up an application a customer started through a digital channel and pick up right where they left off. Conversely, a customer could start an application in-branch and then finish it on a personal device later. It’s really useful for times when a customer may not have all the information they need on hand.
However, if your internal and digital tools aren’t connected and someone comes in-branch for assistance they’ll have to start the process over from the beginning. Turning what could be a really great customer touchpoint into a frustrating experience for everyone involved.
Better tools for bankers
Even as digital options continue to grow, bankers still play a pivotal role in creating long-lasting relationships with customers. Access to the right tools helps bankers enhance their natural abilities and have an even bigger impact.
Legacy software simply isn’t up to snuff for today’s demands. In order to truly set bankers up for success they need access to connected, convenient, and intuitive tools like Blend’s Banker Workspace that empower them to focus on customers instead of their computers.