Even with the rise of online and mobile banking, there are still many occasions that people find themselves needing to go inside and visit a bank branch representative.
For those times that do require an in-branch visit with banking staff, for example: mortgage application, loan interviews, document sign-offs and investment advising, you are missing out on employing a very powerful, yet under-utilized solution and that is taking online appointment bookings.
You see, many problems exist with the current way of booking in clients to meet with one of your staff. As you are going to see, implementing a solution is a lot easier and much cheaper than you think.
Here are three reasons you need to start allowing your clients to book with you online:
1 – Reduce Calls Going To Call Center Customer Service Staff
The call center is the heart of any banking establishment. It is the first point of contact where clients call to resolve issues with many different items such as lost cards or figuring out what certain transactions were about on their banking statements.
So, if there are many important and urgent calls going to support center staff, why are simple requests; such as clients trying to book banking appointments, clogging up your bank’s phone lines?
By establishing a dedicated system for customers to schedule a convenient time quickly to come in, they do not have to increase the call volume queue of the client support staff in the call centers.
The call center can now focus solely on handling customers issues that are at a very high level of importance; urgent matters that shouldn’t make a customer wait a long time on hold.
2 – Improve Customer Service And Experience
Retail financial institutions such as credit unions and banks can clearly see the relationship between a powerful customer experience and revenue growth.
Having one-on-one appointments with clients allows banks to provide exceptional customer service while giving the personal touch that the clients deserve.
Being able to offer the convenience of taking online bookings means that banks can deliver personal service while keeping customers under their brand, and building trust for the long term.
3. Take Appointment Bookings From Mobile Devices
The world we live in is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So when your bank closes at 5 pm, why should your clients be forced to stop interacting with you?
Many people have smartphones like iPhones and Android devices that can do a lot of amazing things.
You should allow your clients the flexibility and convenience of not just booking appointments with your banking staff after hours, but also to be able to schedule a convenient appointment when they are out and about; not just sitting behind their desktop computer at home or in their office. By giving the ability to book appointments immediately you are reducing sales friction because you are enabling the client to take action right at the moment that they find the need to connect with you, while it’s fresh in their head.
If your financial institute is not allowing people to book appointments on the go, there’s a good chance you are losing a lot of banking business that could end up going to your competitors instead.
To grow your portfolio of clients, you need to make it easier for them to do business with you, on their terms and at their convenience. Online booking can have the quickest return on investment for both you and your staff in terms of adding value to your customer experience, but also in time-saving for your staff with scheduling headaches and a reduction of congestion in your call centers.