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During the pandemic customer behaviors have changed immensely.

They needed to bank differently during the shelter at home quarantine.

For many clients, this was an uncomfortable change, but one that ultimately worked and is something they may continue to do.

The behavior change for many, while out of necessity, will become permanent.

For others, they will go right back to their old comfortable pattern.

Just like that old shoe or favorite tee shirt, you revert back to wearing something you are comfortable with.

Many banks will revert right back to their ways of doing things out of habit and comfort.

If that is the case for you, you are missing out on one of the biggest opportunities to change your operational cost structure in the history of banking.

Making intentional choices of modifying branch hours and staffing, incenting lower cost delivery methods, investing in added self-service capabilities, and expanding or enabling your ability to service customers through call center capabilities with remote agents will set you up for added flexibility and lower cost delivery of the access, service and support that customers want and need.

They want it when, where and how they want it.

They have experienced the good and the bad during this pandemic.

They have learned what they can expect.

The questions for you and your management team are;

-What have we learned from this experience that will inform what we become tomorrow?

-How will your strategy change?

-Or will you go back to the old normal and fall further behind in gaining efficiency like the larger banks are doing?

Right now, there is a window of opportunity to leverage your customer’s behavior change for good.

For reducing cost and improving operational efficiency, but it requires planning right now, before things just slide back to the old way.

It doesn’t matter what your strategic planning cycle is or looks like.

Right now is the time to take all that you have learned and experienced and apply it to your new desired normal.

If you don’t take action, old normal will come roaring back.

Your staff will enjoy that great fitting old shirt, and your customers will enjoy that comfortable old shoe, but you will have completely missed an opportunity to comfortably establish a new and better normal without the usual level of disruption.

Most community banks saw the benefit of the PPP Loan program for their customers and their own earnings potential.

Those that managed it well used a diverse team of people, never involved in lending before, to make and fund loans in just a few weeks.

They did it differently out of necessity.

Some banks had never closed loans electronically before, but developed a process to close PPP loans out of necessity.

So here are the million dollar questions……

-Will you go back to the old way of lending or will you continue to leverage these new capabilities to further streamline your operations?

-Will you become a more efficient bank as a result of this experience or do you long to go back to the way it was?

Now is the time to put a new PPP concept to work for your bank…

…Post Pandemic Planning.

If you would like an expert review of your Post Pandemic Planning Strategy, schedule your overview here:

www.visible-progress.com/call

We are available to help community banks take what they have learned about themselves and experienced during the crisis to transform their operations to better meet their customer needs going forward.

Waiting for the next planning cycle will be too late.

You’ll be back to business as usual before you know it.

You’ll be back to the old staffing models before you know it.

You won’t have taken advantage of the changes already in play in your business.

Now if the time to grasp these words…..BETTER, FASTER, CHEAPER.

Our sweet spot at Visible Progress is challenging the status quo.

It is questioning everything….why do we do it that way? Is there a better way?

Our expertise is in helping you integrate BETTER, FASTER, CHEAPER into your everyday planning and operational excellence.

We help with planning, Operational improvement with a proven ROI track record, with sales and cross-selling optimization, and call center service and sales optimization.

To learn more or get started right away, schedule a FREE 30 minute strategy call to learn more about how we guide you through the process and if we are a good fit for your leadership team.
Sincerely,

Tim Scholten
Founder – Visible Progress, LLC.

P.S. Here is what some of my clients have to say:

“Tim is very good at building a strategic vision, and then working to define the logical steps needed to achieve that goal. He has spent many years working across multiple business lines/groups and does a good job at assessing potential hurdles/issues. Tim is also an experienced manager who spends the necessary time and effort in developing his employees.”

– Jim Lockhart | SVP Operations Manager – Consumer Segment | Huntington Bank

“Tim’s ability to dig into processes, ask the right questions, and stay focused on delivering a great experience to customers has had a significant impact for Northpointe Bank. Visible Progress was able to save us approximately $500,000 for an investment of $20,000 over the course of one week.”

– Leonard Iakiri | Vice President of Sales & Marketing | Northpointe Bank

“Tim has been a great friend to the bank and to me. He is genuinely interested in the bank’s success and my personal success. His knowledge, experience and insight bring so much energy to every meeting. After each interaction, I leave with a renewed confidence about what I can accomplish.”

– Barbara S. Walters | SVP Private Banking | Delaware County Bank

Schedule your call today. Here is a link to my calendar: www.visible-progress.com/call