Page 25 - BusinessWest December 21, 2020

cally in front of us.” ibility and willingness to work in
“Our staff has been impressive with their flexibility and willingness to work in different departments to get the job done.
their finances, such as buying a house for the first time,” he said. “We still see a need for those interac- tions to continue at the branch level.”
Ostrowski predicts banking will move toward a hybrid approach that combines the latest technology innovations with an old-fashioned, hometown bank- ing experience.
“I like the term ‘the big hug,’ meaning, even if you do all your regular business electronically, there are times when you want to come in for a mortgage, or you’re having trouble with a tax bill, and we’re there to give you that big hug of caring service when you need it.”
Herman believes the events of the last nine months have caused banks to re-evaluate the roles and responsibilities that branch staff will have in the future.
“I think the traditional job descriptions we had back in February no longer exist, and they are evolv- ing as we speak,” she said, adding that, while people will remain an important part of branch banking, the industry has to figure out how to serve the new needs their customers will have going forward. u
Because so many people are more comfortable doing things from their home, opening accounts online has substantially increased. While this
tool was lightly employed before the pandemic, O’Connor saw an opportunity to enhance it for cus- tomers who use it.
“We are supplementing the online account- opening process by having a branch person follow up with the customer to make sure they received the experience they wanted,” he said.
On the lending side of the business, Herman noted that online applications and electronic signa- tures have further streamlined the process of people conducting bank business from home.
Boivin reported that volume at the UMassFive contact center is up 43% for the year and has nearly doubled in the last two months as coronavirus has spiked. A number of employees moved out of their traditional retail positions to handle the increased activity in the contact center.
“Our staff has been impressive with their flex-
different departments to get the job done,” he added.
Ostrowski believes his staff were as vulnerable as essential retail workers who have been on the job throughout the pandemic. “Because we appreciate their hard work,” he said, “we recently rewarded our staff with a hazard-pay bonus for all their efforts during COVID-19.”
The People Part
As customers increasingly use online and mobile apps for banking, all the managers we spoke with agree that in-person branches still play a vital role. Ostrowski emphasized that technology doesn’t take the place of personal service, but just enhances it.
While acknowledging that digital services are an important and growing part of banking, Megraw also believes the “people part” is still essential.
“The pandemic has shown us that high-touch customer service and the ability to
”
“The pandemic has shown us that high-touch customer service and the ability to speak to someone over the phone or safely take a meeting still
makes a big difference when a customer is trying to get something done.”
speak to someone over the phone or safely take a meeting still makes a big difference when a customer is trying to get something done.”
Boivin hopes the changes that forced people out of the branches will result in more convenience for them and an elevated role for the branches.
“In the long run, we see branches being centers where people can sit down with someone face-to-face for those in-depth conversations about
CRAIG BOIVIN
KATE MEGRAW
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DECEMBER 21, 2020 25
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