Banking: Physical channels in the age of digitalization

As banks' nondigital channels transform, there will be more time to provide appropriate advice to clients.

Almost one fifth of active digital customers tend to stop using branches. However, physical channels will maintain their significant role for any retail bank.

When it comes to complex products, such as mortgages, more judgment and problem-solving is needed, and people still ask for advice from a member of staff in person.

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These are findings of the McKinsey consulting company.

Branches

The adoption of digital tools will allow branches to focus less on day-to-day transactions. Simplified onboarding tools enable banks to move sales of less complex products from the financial advisors. They will concentrate on nurturing relationships and selling more complicated financial products. Branch managers will spend more time coaching bankers on how to take advantage of new digital tools.

With new digital selling processes, dynamic and cross-channel insights will be accessible. Combined with advanced analytics, problems and insights will be detected early. Identifying productive selling behaviors will be readily available and staff will get recommendations quickly.

Call centers – comprehensive remote advisory

Call centers will be a back-up channel. The queries they will deal with will be more varied and complex. Therefore, banks will need multi-skilled staff.

Web and video chats will emerge, not only phone calls. Banks will need to ensure that callers are matched with agents with the appropriate expertise – and personality as well.

Speech analytics tools will be used to provide agents real-time, detailed insights during the call itself. Average handle times will be less important, the emphasis will be put on resolution effectiveness instead.

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Article source McKinsey & Company - global management consulting firm
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