Finovate Blog

 

In the 2002 study of small business, TNS (formerly NFO Global Financial
Services) looked at which banks had the largest share of small businesses
relationships and which were ranked highest by small business clients.
SunTrust ranked highest in customer loyalty, followed by Wachovia
and Washington Mutual.

1. Bank of America

 

Pros:

·         Three levels of business online banking: online banking with
bill pay, Business Connect for multi-users with varied levels of
access, and Bank of America Direct to manage all business finances
online.

·         Good comparison chart of the three choices

·         Resource center with informative articles on starting a
business and other topics

·         Protect against online fraud link

Cons:

·         Must scroll down to see all choices

·         Hard-to-read small blue font for most links

·         No separate URL or bookmark helper

 

2. Wells Fargo

 

Pros:

·         Small business tab

·         Excellent navigation and design, all viewable on a single
screen without needing to scroll.

·         Clients can view personal and business accounts from a single
sign-on

·         Single page, informative Small Business Newsletter

·         Customers and non-customers can enter email address to signup
for newsletter

·         Relevant and useful tips on product pages

·         Product comparison pages as well as best product for your
business quiz

·         Push a button to switch from English to Spanish and back again

·         Link to Make this your first page at WellsFargo.com

 

Cons:

·         No link to Security on the main page

·         Not using liquid layout, so homepage appears small and
off-center at higher resolutions

 

3. Wachovia

 

Pros:

·         Small business is one of the four main navigation
choices on the top

·         Copy and headlines are solutions-oriented, e.g., Meeting
Your Needs, Resource Center

·         Excellent navigation and layout on a single page

·         Separate small business FAQs

·         Relevant products and services packaged into “centers”:
Banking Center, Lending Center, Investing Center, Online Services Center,
Insurance Center, and HR Solutions Center

Cons:

·         Must scroll to see information on bottom of screen

·         No link to Security

 

4. U. S. Bank

 

 

Pros

·         All major links are contained on a single page without
scrolling

·         The no-frills style is easy to read

·         Two solutions-oriented sections: Achieve Your Goals and

Small Business Center

·         Separate Small Business login

·         Link to Newsletter subscription

Cons

·         Layout and design could be improved

·         No link to Security

 

5. Bank One

 

 

Pros

·         Product-oriented layout makes it easy to find specific products

·         Small link to Security on bottom (not visible on
screenshot)

Cons

·         There is no small business section, in fact the term is
not used in any header, although it is mentioned in the opening paragraph;
choices are Business Banking and Commercial, that defies
industry conventions and could cause lost business

·         No solutions-oriented areas or resources section

·         Copy is cliché-ridden and not benefits oriented;
for example under Insurance:
     “You’ve invested your heart in your small business.
      We can help you find ways to protect it.”

 

6. Chase

 

 

 

Pros

·         Small business is one of the four primary navigation
choices on the top

·         Excellent design and layout that fits on one page without
scrolling

·         Solutions-oriented sections: Plan and Learn,
Solutions, and Business Stages

·         Link on left to Have Chase Small Business contact you

·         Privacy & Security link on top

·         Prominent Open an Account and Online Banking: Enroll
Now boxes in upper right

·         Liquid layout

Cons

·         No quick navigation or separate URL for the small business
page, you have to click on the Small Business section on the home
page, then move your cursor down the cascading menu to the Small Business
Home, it only takes a few seconds but it’s still unnecessary extra
effort

 

7. Fleet

 

 

Pros

·         Separate URL
http://www.smallbiz.fleet.com/

·         Tabs across the top help users find important subjects

·         Link to Small Business Value Package (Note: Fleet also
offers a Small Business Platinum Program with a dedicated
relationship manager, faster funds availability, and priority phone service

·         Solutions-oriented areas: Ideas and Information,
Business Tools & Resources

Cons

·         Layout and design is a bit overwhelming

 

8. Citibank

 

 

 

 

Pros

·         Using the drop-down menu you can navigate directly to relevant
business unit pages; the AAdvantage Business Card main page for
example is very well done

Cons

·         Poor navigation off the home page: The only way to navigate to
the small business section is to use the drop-down menu on the right;
and because it doesn’t have a Go button, it took us 30 seconds before
we figured out you have to cursor down to Small Business at-a-glance
(screenshot above) in order to move to the small business section

·         Poor navigation within the small business section: The four
main choices at the top of the page (Products, Planning, Investing,
and Special Offers) are NOT related to small business, they take you
back to consumer
http://www.citibank.com/  pages, and if you don’t use your back
button, you have to go through the full navigation routine to get back to
small business

·         Must scroll down to see all the choices

·         Main banking link (Checking, Savings, & Financial Services)
as well as the Online banking link cause a pop-up screen to load
which is dominated by an outdated self-promotion for online personal banking
with 2001 testimonial from Forbes magazine

 

9. SunTrust

 

 

 

Pros

·         Small Business Resource Center is a good area, although
it’s buried under the Online Services tab in the Business
Solutions area

·         View only option for online banking, no money movement
allowed

·         Ask SunTrust search box in upper right is handy, but it
doesn’t distinguish whether user in searching from business or personal
pages

 

Cons

·         The top navigation bar is a mine field of cascading menus that
launch when the mouse travels over them, an out-of-date and annoying method
for primary navigation

·         No dedicated Small Business homepage, other than the
Small Business Resource Center mentioned above and a mid-page link to
Your Small Business Solution which leads to a curious page entitled
Benefits that talks about Total Business Banking, but it’s not
clear if it’s geared to small businesses or not.

·         Unclear and vastly different navigation/organization in the
various areas devoted to small business (e.g., Small Business Resource
Center)

 
 

10. Washington Mutual

 

 

 

 

Pros

·      Link to content from StartupNation in upper-left corner; the
only bank in top 10 with headline targeting startups (see back page for more
information)

·      Good online banking demo with audio highlights

·      All the information shows on a single page without scrolling

·      Liquid layout

Cons

·         No link to Security

·         Copy and headlines could be more solutions-oriented

·        Layout is a bit sparse for a bank

 

Case Study: Financial product usage at one small business

Microbusinesses typically purchase a hodgepodge of
services culled from both retail and commercial banking product lines. For
example, at our own small business, we purchase 16 financial products evenly
split between consumer and business products (see Table 52, below).
Nine are sourced from banks, six are from non-banks, and one is a combined
effort. Overall, we spend $6,700 annually in fees, interest paid, and
interest foregone (for checking). But the internal costs for managing our
billings, payments, and banking, are more than three times as much, an
estimated $24,000 per year. We would gladly outsource these to a
high-quality and VERY trustworthy third party, preferably someone with a
regulatory and fiduciary responsibility to safeguard our information and
assets, like a bank.

Table 52

Financial Products & Services Used by One Small Business

Source: Online Banking Report, 6/04         ¹Fees and net
interest foregone (deposits) or paid (loans) assuming 2% cost of funds
²Purchased through US Bank, but processed by CheckFree and user
interface by Microsoft Money

Package accounts targeted to business segments

Most banks offer small business bundles that include checking and
other basic transaction services. However, we believe the online platform
can be used to assemble more valuable offerings targeted to small businesses
with various financial management needs. Table 53 (below) shows ways
that the small business market could be segmented. Table 54 (p 53)
outlines major feature that could be included in package accounts targeted
to the financial management needs of the small business.

Table 53

Potential Business Segments to Target

 

Virtual financial management packages

Most banks offer small business account bundles that include checking
and other basic transaction. We believe that there is a significant
opportunity to expand into hosted financial and customer management systems
with monthly fees of $100 or more. Following are the pros and cons of moving
into the financial management arena:

Pros

•          Profitable, incremental fee income
•          Publicity and image enhancement from being the first in
  your market to integrate banking functionality into an overall Web-based
  small business management suite
•           Product differentiation and an impressive unique
  selling proposition
•           Positive word-of-mouth within the local business
  community
•           Powerful retention tool
•           Potential for licensing to other financial
  institutions

 

Cons

•           Weak/uncertain demandd: Until recently, small
  businesses have been slow to adopt new banking technology. It may take
  several years of marketing, sales, and training before you begin to see
  a payback.
•           Development costss: Building a robust, highly secure
  new system will be pricey; you will probably want to partner with an
  accounting software developer that already has code for the basic
  functionality.
•           Uncertain ongoing servicing costss: Being on the
  bleeding edge has its risks; it will be difficult to predict ongoing
  costs for system maintenance, software development, and customer
  support.
•           Lack of employee confidence: Financial institution
  front-line personnel have been known to steer clear of discussing small
  business and/or online banking subjects due to uncertainty with their
  operation, cost, and overall value.

 

Table 54

Features of Virtual Accounting Package Accounts

*Approximate monthly subscription price; additional transaction fees
would apply for certain services.

 

Package Account Descriptions

Virtual Business Manager

Description: A secure place for small businesses to set up an
online home base, similar to corporate intranets. Possible names: virtual
office, virtual desk, virtual briefcase, or personal intranet. It could also
be marketed to the estimated 39 million U.S. households with a home office.

Functionality: For a financial institution, the key to making it
work is tight integration with banking and financial matters. A further
emphasis on local content/links could keep you ahead of the competition.
Banking and financial management feature are listed in Table 54 (previous
page), including:

•           Financial calendar/datebook/reminder service
  integrated with bill payment
•           Virtual safe deposit service that automatically
  stores financial and other files in secure, encrypted, off-site back-up
  files not accessible by anyone but the owner (not even bank personnel);
  can be retrieved on CD for disaster recovery
•           Virtual receptionist that tells visitors how to get
  in touch with someone at your business
•           Company message boards for internal users
•           Company blogs for external users
•           Ability to post documents to the Web, which can be
  shared with everyone or just authorized employees and/or customers

Virtual CPAA

Description: As its name implies, the Virtual CPA provides
extensive accounts-receivable and accounts-payable services from a Web
interface.

Functionality: In addition to the Virtual Business Manager
features listed above and the banking/financial management features listed
in Table 54, the VirtualCPA could also provide the following features
(for more ideas, see the features built into Intuit’s QuickBooks
http://www.quickbooks.com/

•           Billing statements and invoicing via email, fax, or
  snail mail; includes reminders, and confirmations
•           Online, cash-based accounting functions including
  data entry, categorizing, and basic report generation
•           Bill-payment/accounts-payable monitoring functions,
  such as email notification when payment transactions are awaiting
  authorization by business owner; email flags when payment transactions
  don’t clear in a reasonable time
•           Autopay function that pays certain bills
  automatically each month when preauthorized by the client
•           Virtual credit card terminal with integrated email
  and accounting
•           Lock-box service for paper check processing with full
  integration to client’s accounting system
•           Option to share selected information with outside
  advisors, such as a CPA

 

Virtual CFOO

Description: This top-of-the-line service has it all. Just as in
the real world, the Virtual CFO takes the raw data and puts it into a
broader perspective that allows a business to be more profitable.

Functionality: The following features could be added to those
already offered in the Virtual CPA and Virtual Business Manager
modules:

•           Online payroll with paper or direct-deposit paychecks
  and electronic tax payments
•           Online federal and state tax return preparation and
  filing
•           Full-fledged, double-entry online accounting
•           Complete disaster-recovery services including a
  redundant data center – an area in which banks’ inherent in-house
  expertise could be turned into a profit center
•           Complete Web-based customer file management and
  communications including:
  – invoicing/billing with Web integration, e.g., bill presentmentt
  – payment services/inquiry via the Web
  – email/fax/voice messages automatically confirming payment
•           Access to a CPA-on-calll for accounting and tax
  questions; advice could be delivered publicly on your Web, privately
  through confidential conversations, or both.
•           Automatic excess funds allocation to minimize
  interest expense and/or maximize interest income. For added value, the
  funds “sweep” could go to investment and loan accounts at any financial
  institution (not just yours).
•           E-commerce services for hosting secure transactions
•           Accounts-receivable management that automatically
  notifies the business owner and/or customers when accounts are past due;
  includes linkages to a virtual payment window
•           Bank-branded virtual payment windoww, which clients
  can display on their website to increase end-user confidence in paying
  by credit card or electronic check (ACH); includes integrated messaging
  confirming orders.
•           Extensive management reporting easily customizable
  using drop-down menus; for example, revenue reports by customer,
  accounts receivable aging, quarterly P&L; and so on.
•           Mail-merge capabilities that work across any medium,
  email, fax, page, voice message, or snail mail; option to outsource
  snail mail services to a mail house; includes label-printing utility.
•           Retirement plan administration including Web views
  for participants
•           Project tracking module integrated with reminders and
  other Virtual Officee services
•           Employee-expense reporting, cash advances and
  reimbursement services
•            The ability to issue/reload prepaid credit
  cards for customer rebates, expense account cash advances, and so on..

 

Small business attitudes are changing as online banking services become
easier to navigate and more useful. While it currently seems impossible to
eliminate the dependence on the branch for physical deposits, with the
widespread adoption of check imaging and electronic payments, most
non-cash-oriented businesses will be able to bank remotely. Both PNC Bank
and NetBank have announced plans to equip their business customers
with paper check scanners that will allow the remote deposit of paper
checks.

But even the best website and product offering cannot substitute entirely
for the human touch. Every business should have a contact available by
phone, email, or instant message. Small business owners should be treated
like private banking clients.

Recommended online products and services

In theory, small and micro businesses represent one of the most
lucrative, and relatively untapped, sources of incremental business. The
reality is that businesses are difficult to reach unless you are competing
for their loan business. A product offering optimized for business will
differ somewhat from one built for consumers. The following sections detail
potential online features for various microbusiness products.

A. Transaction accounts: checking & cards

While the overall banking relationship may revolve around the
commercial loan, online banking is all about the transaction account(s),
e.g., checking and credit card accounts. Smaller businesses often track
their financial progress through their bank accounts, using them as a proxy
for sales, cash flow, and profits. Business users are also more likely than
consumers to value advanced features such as downloads, reporting, alerts,
and multiple authorization levels. Some of the more promising features:

•          Custom data delivery: Periodic summaries of account
  activity whenever (daily, weekly, monthly) and wherever (text email, HTML
  email, or fax) the client chooses
•          Long-term archives: If
  Google can provide 1GB of
  storage for users of its FREE email service, banks should be able to provide
  unlimited archives for a fee

Table 27

Checking & Savings Account Deposit Options

 

 

Table 28

Online Features for Transaction Accounts: Data Display, Storage, and
Value Adds

 

Table 29

Event Triggered Alerts & Authorization Messages to Support
Transaction Accounts

 

Table 30

Balance, Activity, & Account Management Messages for Transaction
Accounts

 

B. Payment and billing services

Next to statement information, epayment services are the second most
important drivers to the adoption of online banking by small businesses. And
unlike data access, epayments have the potential to become profit centers
and/or a significant source of online differentiation. Most businesses make
far more payments than consumers, so the importance of electronic
alternatives is magnified. On the other hand, existing businesses already
have a system for payment and billing, so it may be difficult to convert
them to a new one that requires changes in internal procedures or software.

Your best opportunities may be in less systematic services (i.e.
one-offs) such as electronic transfers between a business’s accounts at
other financial institution (account-to-account transfers) and the
occasional rush payment.

Table 31

Online Features for Billing, Payment Processing, & Funds Transfer
Services

 

Table 32

Online Features for Payment and Accounts Payable Services

 

Table 33

E-messaging to Support Epayments and Ebilling

 

C. Credit and loan accounts

Every small business relationship should include a credit component. It’s
the lifeblood of business, and a profitable product for financial
institutions. However, many banks have been reluctant to make commercial
loans to the microbusiness market. Average loan sizes, which are dwarfed by
typical commercial loans, make the effort seem fruitless. Yet profit margins
on the small business segment can be higher. Microbusinesses often use
personal credit, primarily credit cards and home equity secured loans, to
finance their businesses.

We believe every creditworthy microbusiness customer should
have a package of three or four credit lines with your financial
institution: an overdraft line of credit (connected to checking), a home
equity line of credit secured by their personal real estate (if applicable),
a business line of credit, and a business credit card. Even if the total
commitment is no more than $10,000 initially, it will make the business
owner feel like a valued customer; and each line can grow larger over time.

Table 34 contains a number of ways to use the online channel to
strengthen credit relationships with small businesses. Some of the more
important tactics:

•          Loan/line Hybrid: A flexible financing vehicle that
  includes an integrated line of credit and the ability to take out fixed
  loans from the overall credit line.
•          Startup Center: Information, tools, and resources geared
  towards startup businesses.

Table 34

Online Features for Lending and Credit

 

 

Table 35

Triggered Alerts for Credit and Loans

 

Table 36

Account Management Messages for Credit and Loans

 

Table 37

Example: Potential Annual Credit Product Revenue from a Microbusiness¹

Source: Online Banking Report, 6/04

¹Example for illustration purposes only, not based on actual
research results

Table 38

Example: Potential Annual Credit Product Revenue from a Larger Small
Business¹

Source: Online Banking Report, 6/04

¹Example for illustration purposes only, not based on actual
research result

 

 

D. Deposit and investment accounts

The online component of deposit and investment accounts is far less
important than for transaction and payment services. However, a robust
online offering can boost deposit-gathering initiatives and improve
retention. Key online components are listed below: Refer to the
Checking/Transaction section for more ideas.

Table 39

Online Features for Investment and Deposit Products

 

 

Table 40

E-messaging for Deposits and Investments

 

E. Financial management & accounting

Although automated accounting and financial management services offer the
biggest potential payback to small business owners, they are challenging to
deliver. However, working through third parties, financial institutions of
all sizes can help cement banking relationships with financial management
services such as:

•          Visible and easy-to-use data downloading services
•          Tools to make annual financial updates and tax prep simpler
•          Online wrap accounts that handle all financial and accounting
  needs for an annual fee, see the section on the Virtual CFO, CPA, and
  Business Manager

Eventually, it won’t be enough to simply offer robust cash management and
online balance reporting to your business clients. Using the Web as a
platform to build industry- and customer-specific service offerings, we
expect a proliferation of specialized small business services during the
next few years. For example, several years ago QuickBooks opened its
code to developers
http://www.developer.intuit.com/  spawning numerous niche services
built on the small business accounting program. Check out the QuickBooks
Solutions Marketplace
http://www.marketplace.intuit.com/  

As the economy continues to improve, big banks will aggressively court
small and mid-size businesses with creative financial management via
Web-based services. These innovations will help counteract the perception
that community banks provide better service. In turn, community banks will
fight back with online offerings that enhance personal service
delivered to local businesses. Luckily, vendor offerings will make even the
most complicated Web-based service affordable to the smaller financial
institution.

Intuit has already built impressive software-to-bank linkages for
QuickBooks and Quicken customers. To some extent, the shrink-wrapped
software is a Trojan horse, positioning Intuit-controlled links to its
partner banks right on the desktops of your best clients. You can fight back
by incorporating billing, accounting, and financial management functions on
your website using account aggregation, instant messaging, and “push”
publishing technologies. Although, it will take time, we think smaller
businesses will be very receptive to financial and management services
running on encrypted, secure, and trusted servers controlled by the bank..

 

Table 41

Online Features for Financial Management

 

F. Service & client relations

Online services and other automation tools can be used to help
relationship managers service and cross-sell to small business clients. Used
judiciously, these tools can improve the perception of personalized service,
even while they improve the productivity of the relationship managers by
allowing him or her to handle a larger portfolio. Key components include (see
Table 42 below for more):

•          Library of recommended preformatted emails that relationship
  managers can easily customize and send to clients
•          Private-banking-like service that treats small business owners
  like VIPs
•          Instant messaging for more private/secure connection between
  the client and their business banking officer

Table 42

Online Features for Self-Service

Table 43

Online Features for Client Relations

Table 44

General E-messaging to Support Client Relationship Management

G. Security and privacy

Although business users may understand the tradeoff between convenience
and risk, the stakes are much higher. A breached small business bank account
could cause thousands of dollars of lost productivity and sales, in addition
to any funds that disappear. In addition, larger small businesses are always
up against the threat of insider theft and fraud. So business owners need,
expect, and will pay for more sophisticated security controls. For example:

•          Additional authentication and/or authorization for outbound
  funds transfers or payments
•          Token- or SMS-based authorization to access the account’s
  master level where new payees can be added, permissions can be granted, and
  so on
•          Frequent email messages tracking online account access and
  alerting the business owner to any suspicious or out-of-character usage,
  e.g., login from an IP address in Liberia
•          Comprehensive assurances and guarantees that accounts will not
  be compromised

Table 45

Online Features for Security & Privacy

Table 46

E-messaging to Support Security & Privacy

 

 

 

H. General website content/features

As branches are gradually replaced by websites as the place where most
banking business is conducted, your online presence will become a critical
part of your overall brand image. Branches will still have a role, but it
will be limited to account openings, cash deposits, and the occasional visit
to the safe deposit box. Websites catering to small businesses will become
far more sophisticated, yet highly customizable and easier to use. Important
features include:

•          Resources and discounted banking packages for start-up
  businesses
•          Separate URL that business clients can enter to skip the
  consumer section

Table 47

General Website Features to Support Small Business

 

I. Insurance

Compared to consumers, small businesses buy a lot of insurance compared
to consumers. While banks may not be “top of mind” when it comes to
supplying insurance, financial institutions can use their online presence to
change that perception.

Table 48

Online Features for Insurance

Table 49

E-messaging to Support Insurance

 

 

J. Online sales and marketing

Even though microbusinesses are difficult to reach through traditional
direct marketing, we believe they will readily seek you out if you provide
credit and payment solutions targeted specifically to them, especially when
in startup mode.

It’s important to make sure everyone, especially the line staff,
understands that microbusinesses are to be actively courted, not avoided.
Typically, bankers roll their eyes and trot out horror stories about past
“nightmares” with flaky microbusinesses. Staff must be educated to the
facts: Microbusinesses can be risky, but with proper pricing and risk
management, the segment provides an excellent source of incremental profits.

In sales efforts, leverage the cachet of the branch manager. A single
telephone call or visit with the local branch manager could be enough to
land an entire microbusiness account. This all-important relationship with a
human must be nurtured after the initial sale. Email, instant messaging, and
other electronic tools can be effective in keeping the communication
channels open.

Some other effective ways to increase your share of the microbusiness
market:

•          Uncover microbusinesses within your own retail customer base by
  looking for random and fluctuating deposit activity.
•          Develop Web content
  that caters directly to the small business segments you are targeting, such
  as
  •         – Part-time businesses
  •         – Self-employed (including full-time sales) or 1-person business
  •          – Micro employers with fewer than 5 employees
•          Use professional copywriters familiar with small business
  terminology to create website copy, including FAQs.
•          Give business bankers “ownership” of the business part of your
  Web site to make sure it is up-to-date and speaks to the target markets.
•          Enlist business owners to evaluate your website and other
  marketing material

Table 50

Online Marketing & Sales Tactics for Small Business Acquisition and
Retention

 

Table 51

E-messaging to Support Small Business Sales & Marketing

 

Online banking usage

Up until a few years ago, small business usage of online banking trailed
consumer adoption. In late 2000, 13% of small and microbusinesses used
online banking compared to 16% of consumers . Three years later, online banking penetration is similar to that of
consumers, an estimated 30% overall. At the largest small businesses, those
with sales between $5 and $10 million, usage is now more than 40%, double
the rate three years earlier.

It’s likely we’ll see continued rapid growth for a few more years. Almost
all (99%) small businesses are computerized, either at the business or at
the owner’s home, or both (see Table 18, above) and more than 75% are
using their personal computers for financial activity (see Table 21, next
page). It’s only a matter of time before the majority of small
businesses bank online. Looking at the 7.3 million small and microbusinesses
universe, we predict that we’ll pass the 50% penetration point within four
years. However, we may reach that point much sooner. One researcher,
Synergistics Research, is already saying that online banking usage
has passed the 50% mark in the $100,000- to $10-million segment, with the
largest small businesses
($5 to $10 million) topping out at 75% penetration.

Table 21

Small business online and PC financial services usage,
2002

Source: NFO Financial Services Group SOHO/Small Business Owner 2002
Online and Channel Use

Reasons for not banking online are typical, with security and
inconvenience (compared to current methods) the most-cited reasons (see
Table 22, below). Only 8% mentioned it was too expensive and only 5%
said they didn’t have the necessary equipment (presumably convenient online
access).

Table 22

Reasons for not conducting either business banking or
investing online

Source: NFO Financial Services Group SOHO/Small Business Owner 2002
Online and Channel Use

 

 

Table 23

Online banking, billing, payment and other online activities

Q. Does your company use the Internet …?   

Source: NFO Financial Services Group SOHO/Small Business Owner 2002
Online and Channel Use, April 2003

 

 

Table 24

Cash Management Usage

Q. Please indicate if the service is
used?

Source: NFO Financial Services Group SOHO/Small Business Owner 2002
Online and Channel Use, April 2003

Advisor usage

While small businesses still turn to their banker for loan
advice, only 17% use a banker for cash management advice, and just 4% for
retirement planning (see Table 25, below). Because small businesses are
skeptical of bankers’ expertise in non-traditional areas, banking organizations
must first explain why they are selling the product, and why the bank’s solution
is superior to more traditional sources. It may be advantageous to partner with
brand names that are more closely associated with the non-traditional product,
e.g., Safeco for business insurance.

Regardless of the channel the customer chooses to get
information and make transactions, a human is usually needed to close the sale.
In a recent Synergistics Research survey of 600 small businesses, only 7% had
opened bank accounts remotely (see Table 26, below). The sales process
can be assisted by email and phone with a branch manager, business banking
officer, or a special small business liaison.

Small business loyalty

One consistent trait across all small businesses: loyalty.
Once you land one, it takes significant upheaval, such as a new commercial
loan relationship, before they make a move. NFO research indicates that 81%
of small businesses use the same bank for personal and business services.
And in a survey of Barlow Research clients, about 60% said they kept their
personal and business accounts at the same bank. Evidently, it’s just not
worth the entrepreneur’s time and energy to shop banks, unless they are in
the midst of raising capital. That’s why we believe it is vitally important
to establish a credit relationship with every small business customer
regardless of size.

However, high loyalty is not necessarily the same as high
satisfaction. According to NFO, in 2003 57% of small businesses are very
or extremely satisfied with their primary financial institution, up
from 50% in 2002. This is a mediocre score overall. And with the advent of
the online channel, it is easier than ever to shop around. And since only
22% of small business customers report being actively courted for their
deposits and investments, incumbent financial institution may be vulnerable.

Typically it has been the interaction between the business
owner and the commercial loan officer that has maintained, or sunk, the
relationship. Though personal relationships are still the primary factor,
electronic communications and online services are becoming important side
benefits. The savvy loan or banking officer can use email, instant
messaging, and a Web presence to supplement and extend the face-to-face
relationship. Staying in touch, asking for feedback, and identifying new
needs can all be done through frequent electronic communications.

Growth potential

 

Table 17 Accounting Method by Small Business Type Segment Annual Revenues Who Does Banking? Accounting Method Typical Software Microbusiness <$250k Owner Cash/ checkbook Excel Quicken Money Larger microbusiness $0.25 to $1 mil Owner Accrual/ Double entry QuickBooks Small business $1 to $10 mil Staff/CPA Accrual/ Double entry QuickBooks Peachtree Source: Online Banking Report, 5/04

The small and microbusiness market holds much promise for financial
institutions looking to grow revenues and profits. Smaller businesses, which
are almost 100% computerized (Table 18, next page), are particularly
well-suited for online delivery; however, since most lack dedicated
resources to handle banking matters, they can be reluctant to change
existing processes and procedures. Even though your bank’s latest online
feature may draw an enthusiastic response in focus groups, expect slow
adoption by small business clients. They are simply too busy to pay
attention to incremental banking improvements.  

While banks and other financial providers have long coveted the small
business market, most have found it difficult to provide the high-touch
services needed by business owners at prices that a smaller business can
afford. However, we believe small business online banking offers a new
paradigm. Automated online tools and electronic communications such as
instant messaging and webinars, allow banks to deliver customized products
at affordable price points, both for the smallest home-office-based sole
proprietor as well as companies with hundreds of employees.

 

Table 18

Small business PC ownership

Source: NFO Financial Services Group SOHO/Small Business Owner 2002 Online
and Channel Use