My son’s second grade class has been learning about maps and, last week, I had the opportunity to introduce the class to GIS (geographic information system) software. Once I got over the fear of being in front of twenty-two unpredictable kiddos (way more intimidating than a room full of executives!), it was important to find a simple way to explain why visualizing things on a map is so powerful and how it truly helps us make better decisions. I decided the best way to get the

We’ve all seen pictures of ultra-modern branches with Jetson-like features. Many can be mistaken for coffee houses or Apple stores with bright lighting, digital walls, and high-end modular furniture. While these new designs may be pretty, are they functional? It’s no longer just about keeping up with the banking Jones’, it’s about being compared to the retail, food service, and hospitality industries. The consumer experience benchmark has been set by the Amazons, Chick-Fil-As

Setting aside any arguments for brick & mortar expansion vs. online/mobile growth – I think we’ll all agree that it’s an exciting time when your business is ready to expand. Whether you’re looking to expand to a nearby location in a market you know well, or are rapidly expanding into new markets with which you are less familiar, the question remains: How will you decide exactly where to open your next location(s)? If you’re Amazon and want to find the best fit for a second HQ

By “creating space,” we don’t necessarily mean adding more square feet. More likely than not, “creating space” won’t require one additional square inch and may even lead to reducing your physical branch square footage. It's about being accessible to your customers in the ways that work for them. How are your customers currently interacting with your institution? How are you learning more about their preferences? Through industry research? Directly asking them? Testing and lea

Providing convenience for your customers includes being easily accessible. Sometimes this means being embedded in their mobile device with slick features, sometimes this means a simple and powerful online banking platform, and sometimes this still means a physical location in the community. Consumer preferences continue to show that consumers of all ages frequently turn to in-person service for opening new accounts, addressing more complex questions, and seeking financial adv

While we spend much of our days thinking about convenience in terms of customer and member experience at financial institutions, I had never looked up the definition of the word. According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, convenience is defined as follows: 1: Fitness or suitability for performing an action or fulfilling a requirement 2: Something (as an appliance, device, or service) conducive to comfort or ease 3: A suitable or convenient time 4: Freedom from disc