The falling number of branches and the development of new technologies reduce customer contact with the bank. Can a virtual branch rebuild the old relationship?
Throughout the recent years digital banking has become a main touchpoint for many customers, ultimately replacing a physical branch for many of them. Nonetheless, digital channels still are not as good at selling as the branches are.
A virtual branch transfers the advantages of a bank branch to a remote service. It is now possible to sell banking products remotely with an easy-to-use and secure online banking component.
Virtual branch provides numerous opportunities for bank advisors. Some of the key functionalities of this kind of solution are presented below.
#1: Screen sharing (transferring screen content)
It is understood that nobody buys a cat in a bag, so it is vitally important that the offer is presented to the customer in a comprehensible way.
One of the main stages of the sales process is presentation of the offer to the customer with the aid of marketing materials in the form of leaflets, calculators etc. By presenting these materials via a remote channel, the sales process is more efficient and helps customers better understand the demonstrated product.
With digital branch, the consultant can share part of their computer screen and display it on the client’s device.
Screen sharing enables sending any fragment of the screen, so that each application can be displayed on the screen of the client’s device. Of course, while the screen sharing feature is running, the client can still communicate with the consultant by voice and discuss the content displayed.
Virtual branch will prove its worth when sending views of web browsers, Office applications or other programs used internally in a given bank. In addition, when using the screen sharing feature, the consultant can mark, draw, highlight and underline the key aspects or fragments of the document on the screen.
This significantly improves the communication and enables the consultant to guide the client through all stages of the decision-making process.
#2: Data collection
Thanks to this function, the bank can collect customer data, for example, what contact forms they choose most often (audio/video/chat), or how often and intensively they use the Pocket Branch. Recorded chat sessions also make it possible to extract the topics most frequently raised by customers. After deeper integration, it is also possible for Advisor to call the transaction authorisation function in the banking application.
Considering the above, Pocket Branch can perfectly support product sales and complement the brick and mortar branch.
#3: Sending documents
When selling products (e.g. loans) via a remote channel, it is necessary to enable the customer to get acquainted with the complete documentation beforehand. Taking this requirement into account, digital branch has been equipped with the feature of sending documents directly to the customer’s device via a secured information exchange channel. Files sent in this manner do not interrupt the current call.
The attached screenshot shows how to send a document in the PDF format during a video call. The file upload information is displayed in the form of a subtle, non-invasive bubble showing the file name and download progress.
After receiving the file, the customer can open it directly inside virtual branch, which supports the most popular image and document formats. This eliminates the need to launch an external application to support specific file types or the need to abort the connection with the consultant.
#4: Quick replies
Many of the matters reported by customers are recurring issues. In order to improve the process of describing problems, we have created a quick replies module. With this tool, both the user and the consultant can use a pre-defined list of questions and answers. These allow the client to define – at the very beginning of the conversation – the topic with which they are approaching the consultant.
This solution both facilitates the work of the consultant and enhances the client’s engagement in the conversation. All quick responses are fully editable and can be tailored to the needs and expectations of the Bank. .
#5: Advertisements
While awaiting a connection with a consultant, customers may familiarize themselves with the bank’s offer presented in the form of advertising banners. After clicking on an advert, the information is passed on to the consultant, who can present – during the following conversation – a full offer of the product that the client was interested in.
This method of presenting an offer enables the Bank to make the most of the time their customers spend waiting for a connection with a consultant, and at the same time provides an opportunity to research consumer preferences and needs.
In the era of the widely available internet banking, good customer relationship is of paramount importance. Therefore, the transfer of experience from a banking institution to a remote service will be the future of modern banking. The improvement of service and meeting the expectations of contractors are the primary activities of modern financial institutions. This is what digital branch is all about – a mobile banking facility that is always at hand.
