Challenge: After a major push toward technology and away from branch transactions, a major regional banking client was concerned that its image may have suffered as smaller banks took advantage of these changes to claim a more “personal” experience.

Objective: The client wanted to have a deeper understanding of customer experiences in its branches versus key competitive brands.

Solution: A Quasi-Qualitative/Quantitative probe of the in-branch experience was conducted at a wide variety of the client and smaller competitive bank branches. Plan-it and its team of professionals conducted “secret shopping” transactions and anthropological observations to evaluate the experience of opening various accounts (banking to investing), the customer service experience, teller and rep interactions, ATM experiences and the overall feel/takeaway of the branch design, signage and communications.

Result: Insights were used to determine critical areas for improvement in branch experiences, including personal interactions, communications, and design. A key outcome was to establish a “best practices” branch experience.