Ally Bank Posts Real-time Call-center Wait Times on Homepage

imageAlly Bank made news this week as one of the few major banks offering consumer PC/scanner-based remote deposit (USAA and US Bank also offer it, note 1). But that new feature has not yet filtered out  to its website. While disappointed in not finding what I was searching for, I did notice something even better:   

imageThe wait time for its call center, updated in real-time, right at the top of every page (see screenshot, below). 

The first few times I checked the site, it always said zero and I wondered if the bank left it permanently there to demonstrate its call-center prowess. But now the wait-time has moved out to six minutes (11 AM Pacific time on a Thursday…a couple days in front of the U.S. tax deadline).

But that’s even more important for public acknowledgement. When wait times stretch to several minutes, customers can decide to call back later or spend a few minutes checking Facebook before a banker comes on the line. It also gives Ally’s customer service department a big incentive to keep the queue at a reasonable level. It’s a complete win-win.

The bank should also add a click-to-call feature so customers can skip the queue and simply request a call-back, a technique that can potentially cut support costs by shortening average call time (see note 3). Ally does offer live chat on its Contact Us page. However, it must be a lower staffing priority as I found intermittent availability on a Friday morning (8:30 AM Pacific) even though wait times for the call center were zero.

imageBottom line: Ally’s real-time availability is so much better than simply plopping a smiling face in the corner of your website and inviting calls. The estimated hold time demonstrates the bank’s respect for its customers’ time, something rare at large consumer brands in any industry. It’s a great tangible benefit to the “ally” positioning.

Because it raises the “state of the art” in online support, we are awarding it our first OBR Best of the Web for 2011 (see note 2).  

Ally Bank homepage with real-time call center wait time monitor (14 April 2011)

  Ally Bank homepage with real-time call center wait time monitor

————————————–

Notes:
1. Post updated at 10 AM: Originally I said the new Ally service was
“mobile” remote deposit, Ally let me know that it was PC-based online
remote deposit (previous post on US Bank’s service)
2. Since 1997, Online Banking Report has periodically given OBR Best of the Web awards to companies that pioneer new online or mobile banking features. It is not an endorsement of the company or product, just recognition for what we believe is an important industry development. If anyone knows of other financial institutions offering a similar feature, let us know and we’ll update the post. Ally is the 81st company to win the award since 1997 and the first in 2011. Recent winners are profiled in the Netbanker archives.
3. For more information on delivering “live help,” see the most recent issue of Online Banking Report.

Can’t make it to FinovateSpring? Then don’t miss out on FinovateFall this September in NYC!

Finovate2011_low.png

In less than four weeks, dozens of leading fintech companies will take the stage at FinovateSpring in San Francisco to demo their latest innovations to a packed audience of companies like Wells Fargo, PayPal, Time Inc., SunTrust, Bank of America, H&R Block, Ally Bank, Intuit, Yahoo, Citi, Jack Henry, Bank of Montreal, Bain Capital and Visa.

While we are incredibly excited about that show (it’s shaping up to be the biggest Finovate ever, and we still have a few tickets remaining), we would be doing you a disservice if we didn’t point out that the FinovateFall pre-sale ticket price of only $995 (a savings of $400) will expire this Friday (less than 48 hours from now).

So, if you’re unable to join us in San Francisco in May or simply want a great deal on FinovateFall, I highly encourage you to lock in your seat and your savings of $400 for the fall event in Manhattan. We’ve moved to a great new location since we sold out the old location three weeks ahead of the event last year and expect to pack the new space with awesome debuts of the best new fintech innovations as well as a high-quality audience of financial & bank executives, venture capitalists, press, industry analysts and entrepreneurs. We hope to see you there!

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

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

Can’t make it to FinovateSpring? Then don’t miss out on FinovateFall this September in NYC!

Finovate2011_low.png

In less than four weeks dozens of leading fintech companies will take the stage at FinovateSpring in San Francisco to demo their latest innovations to a packed audience of companies like Wells Fargo, PayPal, Time Inc., SunTrust, Bank of America, H&R Block, Ally Bank, Intuit, Yahoo, Citi, Jack Henry, Bank of Montreal, Bain Capital and Visa.

While we are incredibly excited about that show (it’s shaping up to be the biggest Finovate ever and we still have a few tickets remaining), we would be doing you a disservice if we didn’t point out that the FinovateFall pre-sale ticket price of only $995 (a savings of $400) will expire this Friday (less than 48 hours from now).

So, if you’re unable to join us in San Francisco in May or simply want a great deal on FinovateFall, I highly encourage you to lock in your seat and your savings of $400 for the fall event in Manhattan. We’ve moved to a great new location since we sold out the old location three weeks ahead of the event last year and expect to pack the new space with awesome debuts of the best new fintech innovations as well as a high-quality audience of financial and bank executives, venture capitalists, press, industry analysts and entrepreneurs. We hope to see you there!

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

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

Alumni News — Week of April 4, 2011

To see our Alumni companies’ updates in real time, follow us on Twitter

eWise officially relocates from Australia to Denver, Colorado. http://bit.ly/finovate44114
Fiserv and Cardlytics partner for merchant-funded in-statement rewards. http://bit.ly/finovate45112.   See last month’s Online Banking Report for more info.
Southwest Louisiana Credit Union joins Kasasa with fun and games on April Fools’ Day. SLCU has served the Lake Charles, LA, region since 1952. http://bit.ly/finovate45111 
Mint introduces mobile advice for iPhone. The feature will come to the Android app this summer. http://bit.ly/finovate44111
SmartyPig launched a free mobile app for Android. http://bit.ly/Finovate44112
Follow the markets through the StockTwits blog network. Users can follow more than 40 profiles in StockTwits network. http://bit.ly/finovate45113

Bank of America Offering Trusteer’s Rapport Plug-in to Protect Online Banking Customers

image If there was any question as to whether Trusteer  had become the industry standard in online banking protection, it was answered this week. Bank of America is now offering the optional Rapport protection to its 29 million online banking customers. Ann Carrns in the NY Times Bucks blog wrote about it a week ago, but I guessed I missed it in all the April Fools Day commotion.

ING Direct was first to offer the program, launching in May 2008. Since then dozens of financial institutions have followed including Zions, PSECU, CIBC, PayPal, Santander, RBS and about 70 more (see full client list below in note 2).

In total, Trusteer says it’s been downloaded more than 20 million times.

Analysis: It’s a good move by Bank of America. While Rapport does not protect from all possible threats, it does seem to provide material improvements. The bank gets a double benefit: less fraud and improved perceptions from customers concerned about security.

The program is not without downsides, however. It requires a download and installation, though thankfully not a full reboot (see second screenshot). And like any software program, there are real and perceived compatibility and performance issues (see the comments on the NY Times blog entry).

Bank of America would be wise to make it easier for customers to find out more info on the program. There is only a tiny link buried at the bottom of the interstitial ad for more info. And that screen goes away after you press the download button.

Users who are surprised by the download warning, and even worried that they’ve been attacked by a virus, will find it difficult to find more info at that time. Rapport is not yet mentioned in the bank’s security area accessible from online banking. Only by going back to the public site and searching for “Rapport” was I able to find the page offering more info (third screenshot).

Many users are going to need more hand-holding and reassurances before they install the program (note 1). The bank could save itself, and its customers, from thousands of harried support calls, by adding a detailed a “how it works” tutorial integrated into the interstitial.

Bank of America interstitial ad after online banking login (7 April 2011, 2 PM):

Bank of America interstitial ad after online banking login

To use the service, users must download and run an executable file (Windows version below, there is also a Mac version)

To use Rapport, BofA users must download and run an executable file

Bank of America Trusteer Rapport info page (link)

Bank of America Trusteer Rapport info page

——————–

Notes:
1. For more info on Trusteer and other security topics, see Online Banking Report: New Security Techniques (Sep. 2008)
2. Trusteer financial clients (per company)

Watching the Mobile Payments Battle Unfold

Editor’s note: This guest post was written by Daniel Thomas, a 25-year veteran of the financial services industry and a principal consultant with Mindful Insights LLC. He’s been involved in strategy and product development for Online Resources Corporation, ARINC, and TeleCheck. He recently authored a report on merchant-funded in-statement rewards for Online Banking Report.


image The Alternative Payments Systems Innovations (APSI) conference held in San Francisco last week may want to change its name to Mobile Payments Systems Innovation. It seems that all things mobile has totally eclipsed any interest in non-mobile untraditional payments.

And for good reason, the speakers and a hundred or so fully engaged attendees at the second annual APSI summit, seemed unanimously to agree that the convergence of virtual and physical purchasing, social networking, rewards and promotions will be solved by the use of mobile phones. And that is saying a lot given the mix of technology companies, payment companies, merchants and financial services companies represented in the room.

However, there is uncertainty on what exact form the eventual solutions take. But each company with an innovation is positioning themselves to be on the winning side when the dust settles and at least one prediction by chip maker INSIDE Secure Corporation’s COO Charles Watson says “it will unfold in the next 18 to 24 months to see who are the winners and losers.”

imageFor us payments geeks, it’s a little like being one of the people from the Virginia countryside who brought lawn chairs to watch the first battle of Manassas in the Civil War. We have an opportunity to witness payment history before our very eyes. For those companies that are on the battlefield, well, some will win and others will become what Steve Klebe, VP, business development and strategy at BilltoMobile calls “alternative payments roadkill.”

The key issue is control of the consumer. This is not a new issue, of course. Richard Crone’s (president of Crone Consulting, LLC) timeless mantra, “The one who enrolls (is the one who) controls” is as true with m-payments as it was with e-payments and bill payments before that. However, no longer is this control of the consumer limited to a tug-of-war between the banks and the merchants. Mobile Network Operators (MNO), handset manufacturers and even social networks are all investing in innovative new technologies and functionality to be in the best position to do the enrolling.

The technologies that are being developed to win this control tend to fall into three main categories:
___________________________________________________________

NFC-enabled phones (and stickers)
___________________________________________________________

Mohammad Khan, president of ViVOtech, the NFC payment and promotion solution provider says that 2011 is the year of NFC and that “by the end of the year, 60-70 million NFC-enabled phones are expected to be released–mostly in North America.” The presumption here is that consumers equipped with this new functionality will be looking for a place to use it and will ultimately drive merchants to upgrade their POS equipment to accept tap-and-go payments.

Indeed, INSIDE Secure’s Watson predicts that NFC enabled smart phones will generate the next generation of phone apps that have nothing to do with payments but will get consumers hooked on tapping (think: tapping posters to receive coupons, tapping labels on store shelves to learn about products, tapping when you walk into a store to check-in and receive offers, tapping phones with someone you meet instead of exchanging business cards, etc.) and that this acceptance by consumers will drive their demand for tapping to pay at the point of sale.

Yet other companies fail to see the value in NFC to consumers. Chris Hylen, VP and GM, Intuit Payment Solutions Division says Intuit is banking on its Go Payment card swipe system that attaches to the iPhone. They believe that in the future everyone that wants to receive money will be able to receive credit card transactions. To prove it, Hylen played this adorable video clip of girl scouts accepting payments with their device. What could be easier?

He went on to say that “NFC is a solution looking for a problem” since it is much easier for a consumer to pull out their card than it is to open their phone, go to the appropriate app, enter a password, select a payment type and then tap the phone to a POS reader. This sentiment was echoed by Vince Kadar, CEO of Telepin Software who asserted that NFC means “Not For the Consumer”.
___________________________________________________________

Virtual Wallets
___________________________________________________________

Okay, so maybe virtual wallets are the answer? After all what could be easier for a consumer to understand? Their phone now contains all of the information that used to be in their leather wallet. But which wallet will we use? The one promised by the group called ISIS led by AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Discover and Barclays Bank? Or the one developed in the future by the partnership of Google, Citi and Verifone? Or the neutral and agnostic wallet announced and demoed at the show by Zenius Solutions President John Weise, the Zenius Mobile Wallet?

Since control of the consumer is the goal, every large merchant, mobile network operator, handset manufacturer and card issuer is going to be developing a wallet that they will want you to use as your primary wallet. How is that going to work? I can smell a new business opportunity for data aggregators like Yodlee and CashEdge a mile away, but won’t that defeat the purpose of gaining control? Somehow I can’t get the vision of George Costanza’s wallet out of my head.
___________________________________________________________

Carrier Billing
___________________________________________________________

The simplest solution, deemed the only “frictio
n-less” mobile payment type by the service providers that offer it, is the concept of paying for items with a charge to the phone carriers’ monthly bill. The concept is inherently secure since the payment providers have real-time access to the phone company database (and they know where you live!) and a second factor of authentication, a text message to your phone that you need to reply-to.

The companies leading the charge in this space include PaymentOne, MoPay, BilltoMobile, and BOKU. And while its true that they don’t have the problems that NFC and wallet providers have, there are currently clear boundaries to the types of items that can be bought with carrier billing services.

Purchases today are limited to small dollar (micropayment) virtual goods such as ring tones, wallpaper, game purchases (if you are one of the millions of people that like to pay to throw virtual sheep) and the like. However, you cannot buy a refrigerator at Sears. At least not until these companies work out the issues between the merchants and the carriers about who pays for fraud losses, how often funds are settled with merchants (remember you only pay your phone bill once a month and Sears isn’t going to want to wait a month to get paid for their refrigerator!) and how customer service will be handled for things such as charge-backs.
___________________________________________________________

Summary
___________________________________________________________

The conference concluded with a focus on major merchants and explored their needs and wants for new payment types. Representatives from Walmart, 7-Eleven, Inc., Macy’s and SUBWAY Restaurants each explained how they were looking for reduced costs, reduced lines, reliability, security, easy implementation and low maintenance associated with any new payment mechanism they deploy. In addition, they want the system to include the ability to offer rewards and promotions near-store and in-store.

That’s a pretty tall order for any new payment solution. Are the merchants being unreasonable? After all, each has tens of thousands of POS locations to worry about, employee training, employee turnover, software changes to make, capital decisions on hardware, and so on. Looking at it from that perspective, one can see why these retailers are among the many that brought extra comfortable lawn chairs to the battlefield sidelines. Maybe it won’t be such a quick war after all.

———————–

Notes: 
1. The conference was expertly organized by Strategic Solutions Network. Many thanks to CEO Aron Barkan along with Sara Sturman, Paula Haggerty and Debbie Bernbaum for an informative, interactive two days.
2. Picture credit: Prince William Conservation Alliance 
3. For more info on mobile banking, see our previous Online Banking Reports.

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.

 

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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!

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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.”