Teller CuRE Validation

A Summative Research Opportunity

What Research Challenge was I Asked to Solve?

CuRE is a step-by-step process designed to assist bankers in building and deepening relationships with customers by collecting critical information and offering assistance in a customized way. Previously, this process was only available for banker-customer interactions. The bank was looking to extend this deepening opportunity to teller interactions.

I was asked to explore areas of ease and difficulty with the tool and the experience overall, gathering qualitative feedback to recommend necessary changes and areas of the interaction where additional clarification or alteration might still be needed.

To comply with my non-disclosure agreement, I have omitted and obscured confidential information in this case study.

Actions

What was my Plan to Address This?

I needed to collect data on specifics of the conversational flow, teller techniques for information gathering and relationship-building, as well as technical obstacles and opportunities.

We also felt it was important to collect feedback on the interaction that the Goals conversation affects and talk through teller servicing with the Goals conversation as an integration to the process. Both teller and customer feedback was used to assess the experience and to suggest improvements to the process and question content.

The organization’s Customer Advocacy department was also asked to participate with quantitative research that would survey both customers and colleagues that participated in the piloting branches to measure their perceptions of the Teller CuRE conversations.

We felt this would be an excellent opportunity to work together to jointly present the qualitative and quantitative results – demonstrating how each compliment and strengthens the other’s findings.

Business Goals

Provide easy speaking points and ensure tellers are talking to customers about financial goals in a standardized, business-approved way
Allow colleagues to identify customers’ financial goals to provide an opportunity for a warm handoff or referral to a banker or relevant colleague
Increase awareness of digital tools that can save the customer time in future interactions with the bank
Generate additional sales leads for colleagues
Provide a consistent experience for customers across branches
Establish a strong relationship foundation by focusing on customer goals

Research Objectives

Capture customer and teller interaction with and reaction to financial goals and/or digital tools conversation in the context of a teller transaction
Observe customer and teller interaction with the Teller CuRE brochure tool as a conversation supplement
Register any product offers that might also be part of the teller interaction experience
Note opportunities, roadblocks or impediments to the overall experience and/or the teller tool

Research Methods & Participants

Qualitative Research

We employed ethnographic techniques to observe teller interactions in real-world scenarios unobtrusively. Ethnography involves hands-on, on-the-scene learning in the audience of interest’s natural environment.
We also conducted customer intercepts, which were used to collect real-time feedback based on the participant’s ability to recall aspects of the Teller CuRE process.

Quantitative Research

A customized survey created and distributed by Customer Advocacy was given to customers in pilot branches who had completed a teller transaction and experienced the teller CuRE process prior to or during servicing tasks.
Three (3) colleague survey sessions via Slido were held during the pilot period to collect feedback and improve engagement in the Teller CuRE pilot. About fifty (50) respondents per session participated.

Participants

Intercepts & Interviews - conducted twelve (12) customer intercepts and ten (10) colleague interviews in six (6) branches within three (3) regions (Akron, Youngtown, and Pittsburgh)
Customer Branch Experience Survey - Customers who recently visited a branch and spoke with a Teller (surveyed within 1-2 days of visit); total n = 4,805; pilot branch n= 236
Colleague Slido Survey - there were approximately fifty (50) respondents per session that participated

“I know we’re trying to do the ‘every customer, every time’ type mindset on it, but I don’t necessarily think that mindset works. Because not every customer is willing to talk about or do things right then and there. You have to be able to read the situation.”

— Assistant Branch Manager 01

Findings & Recommendations

Customer Feedback

Customers that were interviewed don’t mind colleagues inquiring about goals they may have, as long as they don’t do it repeatedly, and they don’t do it when customers are waiting inline
Most (>85%) customers coming to a branch expect to ‘get-in-and-get-out’ (quantitative from tracker)
Less than 1-in-3 customers recall going through Teller CuRE (quantitative from tracker)
Customers are reported to respond favorably to learning digital tools from colleagues that take the time to demonstrate step-by-step

Sample slide from final presentation in which both quant and qual customer findings are blended into one story.

Colleague Feedback

Colleagues are sufficiently satisfied with Teller CuRE, and acknowledge how it’s helping them talk to customers. However, they find it challenging to secure a commitment from the customer to meet with a banker
Per colleagues participating in Slido, just 22% stated they take more than half of their customers through the process
Colleagues report they assess whether customers are open to engagement in CuRE conversations; this is supported by the fact that surveyed customers most commonly expressed that their top mindset, when visiting a branch, is transaction-focused
Colleagues report the need for flexibility in terms of when they discuss CuRE topics and whether they begin with goals and work into digital tools or vice versa. They strive to keep conversations contextual to their customer’s priorities
Colleagues are interested in enhanced training, techniques, and tools to engage customers, particularly regarding the goals plan section, HUB tools, and Bill Pay

Sample slide showing how both quant and qual colleague findings were presented together to tell one story.

Recommendations

Continue piloting Teller CuRE toolkit to evaluate the longer-term success
Prioritize enabling colleagues to track which customers have discussed Teller CuRE topics along with the most current status
Allow colleagues the flexibility to decide the appropriate timing and section of the Teller CuRE to take customers through
Consider benefit-focused transitions that will help tellers gain customer consent to meet with a banker
Ideate on expanding the breadth of colleague demonstration tools to teach customers about our digital offerings (i.e., penny checks)
Consider providing colleagues more training on HUB tools and Bill Pay

“This has definitely helped me with people that I would have never had the conversation with prior. There are customers that it’s awkward, and you don’t want to dig deeper. But this helps me dig deeper.”

— Teller 04

Results

What were the results of the work?

The business and stakeholders decided to hold off on a complete rollout of Teller CuRE to all branches until they were able to get the tracking feature incorporated. This feature is essential because it will allow colleagues to record when they last had a goal or digital tool conversation with a customer and how it went.

When the same customer returns to the branch a week or so later, a different colleague who assists that customer will see the recorded interaction and decide the best approach with the customer.

Customers made it clear they don’t want the bank colleagues always bringing something to their attention and indeed not a repetitive subject. They don’t want to feel like the bank is continually trying to sell them something.

Lessons Learned

What did this project teach me about research, design, or myself?

A big takeaway for me with this project was the experience working with the Customer Advocacy colleagues. Once our separate research and analysis efforts were completed, we engaged in several working sessions together to synthesize the findings and recommendations into one presentation.

It was a great experience and demonstrated to project teams and stakeholders alike how powerful quantitative and qualitative data are when they’re brought together to tell a cohesive story. The project initiated a stronger work alliance between the two departments that continues to elevate both groups.