Video has entered the conversation
As community banks consider efficiency, increased customer satisfaction, and expanding their digital branch presence, video should be on the list. [Continue]
Writer: Anna Burgess Yang
The latest in data analytics
When it comes to data, two things are certain. One is the old adage of “garbage in, garbage out” — if the data quality isn’t there, it’s useless. And the second is that you can have all the data in the world, but all of your efforts are wasted if you don’t do anything with the information. [Continue]
When should a bank outsource vendor management?
Community banking has gotten complex: Today a banker needs a wide breadth of knowledge in everything from regulatory compliance to the latest technology trends. And the demands for depth of knowledge continue to increase. [Continue]
Increased risks from technology, fourth-party vendors
Most third-party vendors present little risk to the bank. It might be the vendor that mows the lawn at the branches or provides office supplies. It’s only the vendors that have access to or manage bank data that reach a higher risk threshold and thereby a higher level of vendor management and due diligence. [Continue]
Consider what might come next after software vendor acquisition
Selecting an enterprise or SaaS product for a bank is a complex task. You’ve involved multiple decision-makers, sat through endless demos, negotiated the terms of the agreement, and finally implemented the product — in total, a process that can span many months. [Continue]
Lending process automation: Risk vs. reward
The best way to beat online lenders is to match what they can do. And for that to happen, you need to automate your lending process — especially at the point of application. [Continue]
Handle departure with compassion
What banks (and really, any industry) can learn from the current spike in layoffs is that former employees can be quite vocal about their last moments with a company. Consider mortgage company Better.com’s callous firing of 900 people via Zoom. [Continue]
Leveraging ‘coopetition’
If your bank is looking to grow niche products and services, how do you spread the word? Aggressive marketing is certainly one tactic, but word of mouth (especially within a community) can also expand your reach. [Continue]
Prioritize the job applicant experience
Even as talk of a recession comes on the heels of a red-hot job market, there’s no denying that candidate expectations for the hiring process have changed. In today’s job market, candidates are evaluating you as an employer as much as you’re evaluating them — and that’s unlikely to change even if the job market cools. [Continue]
The rise of the chatbot (and do you need one?)
Just 15 percent of community banks have already deployed chatbots with another 19 percent planning to invest and/or implement this year. The trend is obvious. The effectiveness, perhaps, is yet to be determined. We’ve all been on the receiving end of a useless chatbot, and, let’s face it, there are a lot of useless chatbots in the world. Don’t implement a chatbot simply because “everyone else is doing it.” Think about what you hope to accomplish and examine a chatbot’s features before making a decision. [Continue]