New Online Banking Report Published: Delivering "Live Help" Online

image At Online Banking Report we’ve written a few reports about online customer service over the years (see note 1). However, we’d never looked in-depth at so-called “live help,” (note 2) which includes:

  • Live chat: predominantly audio, but can also be one or two-way video
  • Click-to-call: a button used to request a call-back from an agent
  • Co-browsing: sharing a screen between user and agent

Co-browsing is still a little too out there for most customers, so we focused primarily on live chat and click-to-call, both relatively widely adopted and proven money makers for online retailers.

clip_image002Bottom line: After reviewing dozens of white papers, talking to a number of industry experts, looking at a hundred websites, and live chatting with service reps in the wee hours, I’ve come to a definitive conclusion on the value of live chat.

It depends. 

Clearly, live chat delivered perfectly can cut costs and lift revenues. But it can also confuse customers, drive up support costs, and get in the way of moving from point A to point B on a website.

clip_image002[10]But as generation text moves into their prime banking years, banks will be chatting more and more with customers, both online and via mobile messaging. So eventually, most financial institutions will need to offer some variation of Live Help to remain competitive (note 3).

______________________________________________________________

About the report
______________________________________________________________

Delivering “Live Help” Online (link)
Live chat and click-to-call promise to increase sales, make customers happy, and save money; what’s not to like?

     Published: April 5, 2011

     Authors: Jim Bruene, editor & founder, Online Banking Report 
                    with Philip Britt, founder, S&P Enterprises

     Length: 60 pages (12,000 words), 14 Tables

     Cost: No extra charge for OBR subscribers, $495 for everyone else here

—————————————————–

Notes:
1. The most recent Online Banking Report on email customer service is here (2004)
2. Our inspiration for the latest issue was Jeffry Pilcher’s post in The Financial Brand (Jan. 2011).
3. However, the first order of business remains turning email into the valued support tool it needs to be. See Email Banking: Revitalizing the Channel (Aug. 2010)

Chase Bank Plays the Ecommerce Card: Offers $100 Bonus for its "Instant Storefront" Solution

image Chase Bank is aggressively pushing its latest small biz initiative, Instant Storefront, billed as a way for old-school “9 to 5” businesses to sell online 24/7. Here’s where I ran across it last week: 

  • A radio ad a few days ago (in Seattle)
  • Full-page ad in the San Francisco Business Times (p. 24 of March 25-31 issue)
  • On the main account management page within online banking
  • Small ad on Chase’s business banking public page today (see last screenshot, note 1)
  • Email yesterday offering a $100 bonus to give it a try (see first screenshot, note 2). 

The email is short and sweet with a good subject line and appealing design. The green button leads to a landing page with more info (second screenshot). The page includes an old-school, and very effective lead-gen technique, offering to email the $100 coupon to interested visitors (third screenshot).

The cost is $30 per month, and the bank throws in a $350 POS terminal and waives $150 in startup fees for new Chase Paymentech merchant customers.

To redeem the offer, customers must visit with a business banking specialist in a Chase Branch. Ecommerce website development seems like a bit of a stretch for a business banker to be conversant with, but hopefully it’s very turn-key. And I like how the service positions Chase as an online partner to small biz, so it may be a brilliant branding tool.

Using a browser with cookies removed (note 1), I don’t see any mention of the new service on Chase’s website and searching for “storefront” in its site search returns nothing (note 3). So Instant Storefront may be a western market test.

———————————-

Chase Bank email to business customers about Instant Storefront (30 March 2011)

Chase Bank email to business customers about Instant Storefront (30 March 2011)

Landing page for Instant Storefront (link)

Landing page for Instant Storefronts

Lead-gen page where users enter their email address to get the $100 coupon

Chase Lead-gen page where users enter their email address to get the $100 coupon

Chase public business banking site (with Washington state customer cookie)

Chase public business banking site (with Washington state customer cookie)

—–
Notes:
1. The ad appears only on the browser I use to access my Chase account. On browser with cookies disabled, I do not see the Instant Storefront ad.
2. The print and radio ads also offer the $100 bonus.
3. The bank uses the URL: chase.com/storefront in its radio ad.
4. For more info, see Online Banking Report: Micro- and Small Business Online Banking (published Oct. 2009)

Alumni News — Week of March 28, 2011

To follow Finovate alumni news in real time, follow us on Twitter here

Bill.com and Doxo recognized as “AlwaysOn OnDemand 100 Top Private Company.” http://bit.ly/finovate329114 http://bit.ly/finovate329115
Bling Nation launches Social Connect platform. The platform allows Bling users to connect online with social rewards features from their favorite merchants. http://bit.ly/finovate328113
Bobber Interactive garners $1.1 million Series A funding round. This funding round was led by PEAK6 Investments. http://bit.ly/finovate41113
Capital Access expands remittance program to include Puerto Rico and 21 more countries. The Capital Access platform is designed for “daily” remittances and revenue-sharing programs.  http://bit.ly/finovate329111
COCC selects mFoundry as mobile banking partners. The company has selected mFoundry’s mobile INSIGHT product for multi-mode mobile banking services. http://bit.ly/finovate328114
Mint.com launches “Quest for Money” online game. The game is intended for middle school students and is available to play online. http://bit.ly/finovate411111
Morningstar to provide mutual fund Platform to eRollover. eRollover users will have access to Morningstar’s historical information and comparison tools for mutual funds. http://bit.ly/finovate329113
Silver Tail Systems wins Emergent Technology Award. The award, given by the Merchant Risk Council, is rewarding the company’s innovative security systems. http://mwne.ws/finovate328112
Sybase argues NFC is “way overhyped.” In VentureBeat Sybase President Marty Beard argues that it isn’t proven that NFC really is better than the other technologies available. http://bit.ly/finovate41112
Xero launches integrated payroll solution. http://bit.ly/finovate329112 

Last Chance to Save with an Early-Bird Ticket to FinovateSpring 2011!

FinovateSpring_Logo_Date.jpg

Friday April 1st is the early-bird ticket deadline for our upcoming FinovateSpring conference.

Which means you have only a few hours left to save on your ticket! Don’t miss out on your chance to witness 60 handpicked companies demo their latest financial and banking technology innovations live on stage.

If you decide to attend, you’ll watch the selected companies showcase their latest ideas as part of an influential audience that’s shaping up to be Finovate’s largest ever. We’re on track to pack the auditorium with more than 750 attendees (up from 550 last year).

A small sample of the organizations already registered includes: Ally Bank, Bain Capital, Bank of America, Battery Ventures, BBVA, BMO, Capital One, Chase, Citi, CNN Money, eTrade, Fidelity, FIS Global, GE Capital, GRP Partners, H&R Block, Harland, Highland Capital Partners, ING Direct, Intuit, JD Power & Associates, Reuters, Scotiabank, SunTrust, The Motley Fool, Time Inc, TowerGroup, USAA, US Bank, Visa, Wells Fargo, and Yahoo!Finance.

In case you missed the announcement last week, here are the companies that will be demoing at FinovateSpring (plus we’ll announce a few currently in stealth mode closer to the show):

  • Afiniate
  • Aptys Solutions
  • Arroweye Solutions
  • Backbase
  • Balance Financial
  • BancVue
  • Bill.com
  • Billeo
  • BillFloat
  • Bills.com
  • BillShrink
  • Blaze Mobile
  • Braintree
  • Bundle
  • ChargeSmart
  • Clovr Media
  • Code Green
  • Crossroads
  • Currensee
  • doxo
  • Dwolla
  • edo Interactive
  • Enloop
  • eWise
  • Expensify
  • Experian
  • Figlo
  • Fiserv
  • Gold Bullion Int’l
  • Gratio Capital
  • HelloWallet
  • HOYOS
  • ID Analytics
  • Ideon
  • Intellaegis
  • Kabbage
  • Kiboo
  • Kony Solutions
  • Lend Street
  • Lendio
  • Liqpay.com
  • Mint.com
  • MyBankTracker
  • oFlows
  • Pageonce
  • PayDivvy
  • PayNearMe
  • PayPal/Discover
  • peerTransfer
  • ProfitStars
  • Q2ebanking
  • ReadyReceipts
  • Silver Tail Systems
  • TILE Financial
  • TrustedID
  • Wikinvest
  • Wipro Technologies
  • Xero

To lock in your spot at the spring event and the early-bird ticket price, please register today. We’ll see you in May!

FinovateSpring 2011 is sponsored by: The Bancorp, Tier One Partners, and the law firm of CB&S.

FinovateSpring 2011 is partners with: BankInnovation.net, BankerStuff, CardWeb, Filene Research Institute, Finance on WindowsPYMNTS.com, Mercator Advisory Group and Mobile-Financial.com.

Last Chance for Early-Bird Tickets to FinovateSpring 2011!

FinovateSpring_Logo_Date.jpg

Friday April 1st is the early-bird ticket deadline for our upcoming FinovateSpring conference.

Which means you have only a few hours left to save on your ticket! Don’t miss out on your chance to witness 60 handpicked companies demo their latest financial and banking technology innovations live on stage.

If you decide to attend, you’ll watch the selected companies showcase their latest ideas as part of an influential audience that’s shaping up to be Finovate’s largest ever. We’re on track to pack the auditorium with more than 750 attendees (up from 550 last year).

A small sample of the organizations already registered includes: Ally Bank, Bain Capital, Bank of America, Battery Ventures, BBVA, BMO, Capital One, Chase, Citi, CNN Money, eTrade, Fidelity, FIS Global, GE Capital, GRP Partners, H&R Block, Harland, Highland Capital Partners, ING Direct, Intuit, JD Power & Associates, Reuters, Scotiabank, SunTrust, The Motley Fool, Time Inc, TowerGroup, USAA, US Bank, Visa, Wells Fargo, and Yahoo!Finance.

In case you missed the announcement last week, here are the companies that will be demoing at FinovateSpring (plus we’ll announce a few currently in stealth mode closer to the show):

  • Afiniate
  • Aptys Solutions
  • Arroweye Solutions
  • Backbase
  • Balance Financial
  • BancVue
  • Bill.com
  • Billeo
  • BillFloat
  • Bills.com
  • BillShrink
  • Blaze Mobile
  • Braintree
  • Bundle
  • ChargeSmart
  • Clovr Media
  • Code Green
  • Crossroads
  • Currensee
  • doxo
  • Dwolla
  • edo Interactive
  • Enloop
  • eWise
  • Expensify
  • Experian
  • Figlo
  • Fiserv
  • Gold Bullion Int’l
  • Gratio Capital
  • HelloWallet
  • HOYOS
  • ID Analytics
  • Ideon
  • Intellaegis
  • Kabbage
  • Kiboo
  • Kony Solutions
  • Lend Street
  • Lendio
  • Liqpay.com
  • Mint.com
  • MyBankTracker
  • oFlows
  • Pageonce
  • PayDivvy
  • PayNearMe
  • PayPal/Discover
  • peerTransfer
  • ProfitStars
  • Q2ebanking
  • ReadyReceipts
  • Silver Tail Systems
  • TILE Financial
  • TrustedID
  • Wikinvest
  • Wipro Technologies
  • Xero

To lock in your spot at the spring event and the early-bird ticket price, please register today. We’ll to see you in May!

FinovateSpring 2011 is sponsored by: The Bancorp, Tier One Partners, and the law firm of CB&S.

FinovateSpring 2011 is partners with: BankInnovation.net, BankerStuff, CardWeb, Filene Research Institute, Finance on WindowsPYMNTS.com, Mercator Advisory Group and Mobile-Financial.com.

BankSimple’s Vision Statement is All About High-Touch

image Over the years I’ve published more than a million words and this is the first time I can remember using the term “vision statement,” and in a headline no less. I’ve spent enough time in large companies to know that when you hear “vision statement” it’s time to run for the exits. Usually, even the employees don’t buy it, let alone the customers it’s supposed to impress.

However, BankSimple’s vision statement is not only believable, but also sets a great tone for the startup’s upcoming launch. It’s also cleverly positioned on the homepage to “jump up” above the fold as you scroll down.

Why does it work? Everyone knows that BankSimple, with its Twitter DNA and $3 million in venture funding, will have good tech. So the startup focuses on people and service in its vision statement to make it clear that it’s not some aloof, high-tech company where it takes a search warrant to find the customer support number, but an actual human-powered organization (see details below). Nice touch (note 1).

image

____________________________________________________________________________

Breaking “the vision” down point by point
____________________________________________________________________________

image

It’s no surprise that the non-bank bank is tackling the fee issue. It’s in the news and it’s always high on the list of customer dissatisfaction. But notice they are not using the word “free” or saying “no fees.” They are just saying they will be transparent with pricing and will not surprise with penalty fees when you can least afford them.

 

image

Everyone talks about service, so this isn’t particularly novel. But the use of “prioritize” and “real” will resonate with the segment they are targeting.

 

 

image Grabbing the mobile positioning is brilliant. That’s absolutely where the market is headed, so you might as well make it a key differentiator. And while no one knows what “true mobile banking” means, it sounds good.

 

 

image

I’m not sure this adds a whole lot to the vision. In the text by this point, the bank talks about “plain, simple language.” Sounds OK, but not as compelling as the other points. I’d have nixed it and kept it to a tidy four-point vision instead.

 

image

The tagline for this point is, “You’re a real person, not an account number.”

Bingo. Here’s a pure-play online bank run by uber-techies, but they are saying they are really all about the people. High tech. High touch. Love it!

———————————————————–

Note: Yes, I’m aware that BankSimple abbreviates to BS. And no, I’m not its biggest fanboy. See this self-proclaimed “love letter to Bank Simple.”

Thank you to our March NetBanker.com Sponsors

We want to pause for a moment in our normal blogging activities to thank the three great sponsors that are currently helping keep NetBanker free and
high-quality.

These three companies have been long-term supporters of this blog and we really appreciate them. Please take a moment to check them out. In alphabetical order, they are:

  • Backbase who is currently offering a number of interesting free pre-recorded webinars on innovation and important trends in online, mobile and small business banking technology.
  • Guardian Analytics who is giving away a complimentary whitepaper about building a holistic security practice. Grab your copy here.
  • Yodlee is promoting a free new webinar on April 14th on their new Yodlee 10 platform and it’s innovative FinApp store among other capabilities.

Thanks for taking a moment to check out our sponsors. Please let us know if you ever have any feedback on these companies or our blogging.

P.S. If you want to join these companies in supporting NetBanker, please drop me an email at eric@netbanker.com for more details. 


ericphoto.jpgEric Mattson is CEO of Online Financial Innovations, the parent company of NetBanker, Online Banking Report and the Finovate Conference Series. He can be reached at eric@netbanker.com.

Alumni News — Weeks of March 7, 13 and 21, 2011

To view our alumni news updates in real time, follow us on Twitter

Andera adds its 500th customer. http://bit.ly/finovate322116
Bill Harris and Mark Goines join the Pageonce Advisory Board. Harris was formerly CEO of Intuit and of PayPal, and Goines was formerly a senior executive at Intuit and Charles Schwab. http://prn.to/finovate322111
Bill.com named to the JMP Securities “Hot 100.” The list includes the 100 best privately held software companies for 2011 according to the investment bank. http://bit.ly/finovate38113
BillShrink adds Anil Arora, Yodlee president and CEO, to its board of directors. The announcement comes just after the launch of “Statement Rewards” from BillShrink. http://bit.ly/finovate322112
Boku moves from virtual-goods billing to real-goods billing in Germany. Now real goods can be added to wireless bills thanks to Boku’s technology. http://bit.ly/finovate324112
Cardlytics wins Judge’s Choice Award in the 2011 Paybefore Awards. The Paybefore  awards are hosted annually by Prepaid Media. http://bit.ly/finovate38111
CashEdge signs Huntington for P2P PopMoney. http://bit.ly/finovate322117
Check out the Filene webinar with Thwakk on how to leverage financial education to increase youth membership. http://bit.ly/finovate322113
Columbus Water Works customers can now pay their utility bill via eWise’s secure payment platform. http://yhoo.it/finovate37113
Cedit Sesame closes on $6.15 million Series B funding round led by Melo Ventures. http://bit.ly/finovate322118
eToro launches “Trade Story.” This social platform helps traders learn the strategies behind other users’ trades. http://bit.ly/hQNDGc
Expensify is featured in Money magazine. http://bit.ly/finovate322114
Guardian Analytics raises $11 million. This is Guardian’s fourth round of funding, this time led by Split Rock Partners. http://bit.ly/finovate323113
H&R Block and Yodlee partner to make it easier to file taxes. http://yhoo.it/finovate3236
ICICI and Intuit partner on a Mint-like platform for India. http://bit.ly/finovate324113

Can Banks and Credit Card Issuers Outflank Groupon with Merchant-Funded Rewards?

imageGroupon may be the biggest company in history that everyone thinks they could have built. Facebook, I guess, is up there too.

It seems everyone is wondering how they could do the “Groupon of ____” (fill in the blank). In my world, the blank is “banking.” I already wrote about the potential for selling financial products through Groupon and other flash marketing sites last July, so I won’t repeat that part. Anyway, that’s Groupon 1.0. 

It’s Groupon 2.0 that I think is even more interesting for financial institutions. The new model, coming in a few weeks, is all about mobile deals. Groupon Now mobileThe company is said to be planning on adding two buttons to your smartphone:

I’m hungry…which will alert you to nearby Groupons you can use for food deals.

I’m bored…which will alert you to just about anything else Groupon sells.

It’s brilliant. And so simple. Again, everyone will wish they’d built it. 

___________________________________________

Banking Opportunities
________________________________________________

So how could you do the same thing in personal finance? What would those buttons be?

  • I’m broke….leads to ATM finder, cash-back location, credit card site, loan app, friends & family loans, P2P lender, etc.
  • I’ve just been paid…leads to ATM finder, branch locations, deposit accounts, billpay, investments, automated savings plans, etc.
  • I’m out of town…leads to ATM finder, FX locations, travel services, 
    resource locator, card-issuer notifications, security preferences, etc.

But those are all pretty much standard functions of online/mobile banking today. The bigger opportunity may be to beat Groupon at the local level, with merchant-funded rewards tied to debit/credit cards (see note 1). Banks could potentially use the same “hungry/bored buttons” and direct customers to cash-back deals at restaurants and other merchants making offers to your cardholders.

Bottom line: Location-based rewards is another example of why mobile banking will be more important than online banking. To put it simply:

Banks enable commerce.

Mobile enables location-based commerce.

So financial institutions are right in the middle of a multi-billion dollar shift in retail spending. Enjoy all the opportunities!

————————————————-

Notes:
1. For more on merchant-funded rewards, see the latest Online Banking Report.
2. Picture credit: All Things Digital

FinovateSpring 2011 Demo Roster Revealed — Get your early-bird ticket before they’re gone!

FinovateSpring_Logo_Date.jpg

In less than seven weeks, over 60 handpicked companies will take the stage at FinovateSpring in San Francisco to demo their latest financial and banking technology innovations.

The selected companies will showcase their latest ideas to an influential audience that’s shaping up to be Finovate’s largest ever (well above last spring’s headcount of 550). It should be a packed house on May 10th & 11th at the Concourse Exhibition Center and we hope you’ll join us to watch the future of finance unfold live on stage.

Without further ado, here are the companies who will be demoing at FinovateSpring 2011:

  • Afiniate
  • Aptys Solutions
  • Arroweye Solutions
  • Backbase
  • BancVue
  • Balance Financial
  • Bill.com
  • Billeo
  • BillFloat
  • Bills.com
  • BillShrink
  • Blaze Mobile
  • Braintree
  • Bundle
  • ChargeSmart
  • Clovr Media
  • Code Green
  • Crossroads
  • Currensee
  • doxo
  • Dwolla
  • edo Interactive
  • Enloop
  • eWise
  • Expensify
  • Experian
  • Figlo
  • Fiserv
  • Gold Bullion Int’l
  • Gratio Capital
  • HelloWallet
  • HOYOS
  • ID Analytics
  • Ideon
  • Intellaegis
  • Kabbage
  • Kiboo
  • Kony Solutions
  • Lend Street
  • Lendio
  • Liqpay.com
  • MyBankTracker
  • Mint.com
  • oFlows
  • Pageonce
  • PayDivvy
  • PayNearMe
  • PayPal/Discover
  • peerTransfer
  • ProfitStars
  • ReadyReceipts
  • Silver Tail Systems
  • TILE Financial
  • TrustedID
  • Wikinvest
  • Wipro Technologies
  • Xero

In late April, we will also be announcing several additional presenting companies that wish to remain confidential for now.

If you’d like to lock in your spot at the spring event, please register today. Plus, by registering today, you’ll get the early-bird ticket price and save $100 on your ticket. We hope to see you in May!

FinovateSpring 2011 is sponsored by: The Bancorp, Tier One Partners, and the law firm of CB&S.

FinovateSpring 2011 is partners with: BankInnovation.net, BankerStuff, CardWeb, Filene Research Institute, Finance on WindowsPYMNTS.com, Mercator Advisory Group and Mobile-Financial.com.

FinovateSpring 2011 Demo Roster Revealed — Get your early-bird ticket before they’re gone!

FinovateSpring_Logo_Date.jpg

In less than seven weeks, over 60 handpicked companies will take the stage at FinovateSpring in San Francisco to demo their latest financial and banking technology innovations.

The selected companies will showcase their latest ideas to an influential audience that’s shaping up to be Finovate’s largest ever (well above last spring’s headcount of 550). It should be a packed house on May 10th & 11th at the Concourse Exhibition Center and we hope you’ll join us to watch the future of finance unfold live on stage.

Without further ado, here are the companies who will be demoing at FinovateSpring 2011:

  • Afiniate
  • Aptys Solutions
  • Arroweye Solutions
  • Backbase
  • BancVue
  • Balance Financial
  • Bill.com
  • Billeo
  • BillFloat
  • Bills.com
  • BillShrink
  • Blaze Mobile
  • Braintree
  • Bundle
  • ChargeSmart
  • Clovr Media
  • Code Green
  • Crossroads
  • Currensee
  • doxo
  • Dwolla
  • edo Interactive
  • Enloop
  • eWise
  • Expensify
  • Experian
  • Figlo
  • Fiserv
  • Gold Bullion Int’l
  • Gratio Capital
  • HelloWallet
  • HOYOS
  • ID Analytics
  • Ideon
  • Intellaegis
  • Kabbage
  • Kiboo
  • Kony Solutions
  • Lend Street
  • Lendio
  • Liqpay.com
  • MyBankTracker
  • Mint.com
  • oFlows
  • Pageonce
  • PayDivvy
  • PayNearMe
  • PayPal/Discover
  • peerTransfer
  • ProfitStars
  • ReadyReceipts
  • Silver Tail Systems
  • TILE Financial
  • TrustedID
  • Wikinvest
  • Wipro Technologies
  • Xero

In late April, we will also be announcing several additional presenting companies that wish to remain confidential for now.

If you’d like to lock in your spot at the spring event, please register today. Plus, by registering today, you’ll get the early-bird ticket price and save $100 on your ticket. We hope to see you in May!

FinovateSpring 2011 is sponsored by: The Bancorp, Tier One Partners, and the law firm of CB&S.

FinovateSpring 2011 is partners with: BankInnovation.net, BankerStuff, CardWeb, Filene Research Institute, Finance on WindowsPYMNTS.com, Mercator Advisory Group and Mobile-Financial.com.