How To Get The Most Out of Your Appointment Scheduling Solution
In a nutshell 🥥 Modern appointment solutions do more than manage calendars. They improve operational efficiency, increase conversion rates for accounts and loans, enhance customer satisfaction, and create seamless experiences across digital and in-branch channels. When deployed thoughtfully with multiple access points and integrated into hybrid and omnichannel strategies, appointment tools become catalysts for deposit growth, mortgage loan growth, and deeper customer engagement. Why Appointment Scheduling Deserves More Attention Before you even select an appointment solution, it’s important to define success. Many banks miss opportunities because they only make the scheduling tool available on one page of their website — often buried and hard to find. As a benchmark, financial institutions should aim for at least 20% of appointments to originate from the online booking tool itself. Appointment scheduling isn’t just about convenience. It’s about matching customers with the right service, at the right time, through the right channel — all with minimal friction. Multiple Entry Points = More Engagement One of the easiest ways to boost adoption is by increasing entry points — places where customers can discover and access your scheduling tool. Think beyond a single web page: Website navigation menus and banners Branch kiosks and QR codes Mobile banking apps and in-app prompts Email signatures and marketing campaigns Online search results through tools like Reserve with Google Credit unions with as few as 15 branches have achieved the same digital appointment volume as much larger institutions simply by expanding where and how customers can book. This starter strategy should be part of a broader omni‑channel experience where customers connect with the bank on their own terms. The Hybrid Banking Advantage Hybrid banking — the blending of digital tools with in‑branch experience — is rapidly becoming the norm. It allows customers to book appointments online or via mobile, then choose whether they want to meet in person, by phone, or using secure video banking tools. This flexibility reduces lobby wait times and gives staff the ability to serve customers more efficiently. Secure video platforms integrated with appointment solutions let customers get face‑to‑face help from the comfort of home, which is particularly valuable for complex services like mortgage consultations or financial planning. Using Data & Analytics to Improve Service Delivery Branch data and analytics provide the insights institutions need to fine‑tune staffing models, optimize service offerings, and allocate resources where they’re most effective. Integrated systems can track: Appointment volume and conversion rates No‑show rates and attendance trends Customer wait times and satisfaction scores Advisor utilization and performance These analytics help leaders make informed decisions that improve both the customer experience and the bottom line. Operational Efficiency: Doing More With Less Appointment scheduling solutions reduce administrative work, shorten appointment durations, and help advisors stay focused on meaningful conversations instead of scheduling logistics. By automating reminders, digital form collection, and calendar syncs, institutions save time for both staff and customers. Scheduled meetings also reduce no‑shows and give advisors better insight into customer needs before the appointment begins—allowing for more productive, personalized interactions. Driving Revenue: Account Opening Growth, Deposit Growth, & Loan Growth When customers can easily schedule meetings—especially for high‑value services like mortgage or deposit consultations—banks see measurable growth. Improved accessibility translates into more new account openings, higher deposit rates, and increased mortgage loan conversions. Appointment tools integrated across digital and physical touchpoints help guide customers toward the right products at the right time. Are you getting the most out of your entry points? Take the quiz now to find out where you stand, and uncover any missed opportunities in your current strategy. We have an entry point on our: Mobile Banking Channel We have an entry point on our: Online Banking Channel We have an entry point on our: Online Origination Forms We have an entry point on our: Contact Us Page We have an entry point on our: Locations Page We have an entry point on our: Product Page(s) We have an entry point on our: Staff Introduction Page(s) We have an entry point on our: Service Information Page(s) We have an entry point on our: Blog Content We have an entry point in our: Online Chat or Chatbot We have an entry point on our: Social Media Marketing We have an entry point on our: Paid Digital Ads We have an entry point on our: Print / Experiential Ads We have an entry point on our: Email Marketing We have an entry point in our: Lead Generation Materials We have an entry point on our: Email Signatures We have an entry point in our: Contact Center We have an entry point in our: Google Listings We have an entry point on our: Smart ATMs / ITMs We have an entry point on our: In Branch Kiosk We have an entry point in our: Group Appointment RSVPs Looks like you need an upgrade Usually, if you find yourself in this scenario you are in the early stages of implementing your appointment scheduling solution. Oftentimes only certain teams are using the solution, or you are still trying appointments out. If this is not the case, you may have miss-enlisted the services of an appointment scheduling tool designed around the needs of SMBs or other non-enterprise level companies. For simple use cases, this may fit the bill, and comes with a lower price tag, but it will typically come at the cost of limited functionality and flexibility. Issues in scalability that come up later on could end up costing more than you save. In either case, these limited entry points could be holding your business back from getting the most out of your appointment scheduling solution. To uncover more about where your company stands and how to get the most out of your appointment scheduling solutions, download our Appointment Scheduling Buyer’s Guide today. Nice work! You’re almost there! Most companies in this range have made good use of including entry points on their website. If this is the case, ensure that they link directly to
Why and How Online Booking Systems Improve CX in Retail Banking
In a nutshell 🥥 Modern banking customers crave convenience and instant access. Without online booking systems, banks risk losing both new and existing clients. Implementing digital scheduling tools—featuring 24/7 booking, personalized appointment selection, automated reminders, mobile check-ins, and CRM integration—boosts accessibility, trust, and satisfaction. These systems streamline visits, reduce wait times, collect actionable feedback, and provide analytics to optimize staffing and services, ultimately increasing retention, generating leads, and enhancing overall banking revenue and customer experience. Online Booking is Key to New Customers Research tells us that 40% of online bookings are performed outside of business hours. If your banking business doesn’t have online booking systems, you could be missing out on a substantial number of new customers. The fact is, we’ve been conditioned to instant gratification. If that instant option is not available, consumers will simply move on to another business that provides that gratification. Not only will you be missing out on new leads, but your existing clientele will grow tired of time-restricted service. This will encourage them to shop around and take their business elsewhere. So how can you ensure an excellent customer experience and hold your clients? Follow along to learn how integrating an online booking system will produce happier customers and better banking business. What Are Online Booking Systems? It’s 9 pm on a Tuesday night. A client opens up their banking statement and notices something is off. Money is one of the highest stress factors for Americans, so they feel an overwhelming need to have this issue resolved as quickly as possible. An online booking system is the key element that makes taking the next step easy and convenient for your leads. The concerned customer looks at the clock and realizes it’s too late to call and ask about this issue. Their best bet is to book an appointment so they can slip in at lunch hour the next day. They click your ‘request an appointment’ button and schedule in a time that works well for them. They can now forget about this issue and rest assured knowing they will be able to get help as soon as possible. This client doesn’t have to remember to call tomorrow, or even try to stop by in hopes that there will be an agent available. Their request is processed instantaneously without any time-restricting windows. This is the solution your clients are craving. Online scheduling is the workflow on a website that will allow customers to get in touch with your business, book in with their preferred agent, and adjust their appointments around their schedule. They can do all this and more anywhere and anytime, even when your branches aren’t open. What Can They Do Online booking systems help your customers secure an appointment in a more convenient way. Beyond this, they can also offer a plethora of other benefits for your business. The ease of these services is an attractive feature for potential customers and give you an edge above the competition. Instant access allows clients to book based on impulse and prevent them from searching for other banking options. These platforms help your business generate more meaningful leads and gather the information that you can use to follow up. When a new client requests an appointment, they will be asked to provide contact information such as an email or phone number. Some systems will also allow for custom questions to be asked, in order to gather data to help with the customer’s specific query. Reminder emails can prevent no-show appointments and if the client cancels, the system will follow up with them to reschedule. These systems have been proven to increase customer satisfaction and user-friendly ratings. This results in return clientele, new leads, and a boost in revenue. How Do They Improve Customer Experience 77% of consumers will recommend a business to a friend after receiving excellent customer service. Statistics like this prove that ensuring happy customers is crucial for growth in share of wallet. So how can providing online booking options impact the way customers perceive your business? Believe it or not, using these systems as the first point of contact is incredibly valuable for your brand’s reputation. Addressing customers in the way they prefer to communicate get’s your foot in the door and allows for interactions to grow. This customer-focused service will help you cultivate a comfortable environment. You’ll be able to create a more meaningful experience in a number of ways. 1. Accessibility Welcome to the digital age, where smartphones are a permanent fixture in a user’s hands. Nowadays, customers actually prefer self-service options for booking platforms over calling a business. With so many services available to the public at a click of a button, consumers have become used to getting exactly what they want when they want it. Businesses are now offering 24/7 customer service support and interactive features. This raises the standard for customer experience and creates a demand for being accessible online. Consumers are drawn to this always-open feature for its convenience and user-friendly appeal. Incorporating this system for your business will prove to your customers that you are tailoring your services to meet their needs and provide a client-focused experience. No matter where they are or what device they are using, they can have confidence that they will be able to reach you when it suits them. This ‘around-their-schedule’ approach will allow customers to feel in charge and let them know that you value their time. 2. Conversation and Trust For potential customers, using online booking will be their first point of contact with your business. Right off the bat, they will know that you are more readily available for their needs. Instead of having to wait for service hours or sit on hold, their request is managed quickly and they can interact with your brand effortlessly. This will give them a positive indication of what future interactions will be like. A positive first impression is crucial for customer experience. Every interaction after this will either reinforce or challenge how they see your company. Before they even
The Importance of Humanizing Banking for Enterprise Financial Institutions
Customers want to spend their limited time on the people and experiences they find valuable. Inefficient processes often leave consumers feeling as though they are not being prioritized but are rather a digit in line waiting for their turn. As a financial institution, it’s important to demonstrate your value by personalizing your engagements to humanize your interactions.
Making it easier for financial institutions to engage and connect with their customers
When the Coconut Customer Experience Team first works with a new financial institution, we often get asked how to make it easier for their customers to engage and connect with them. Based on our years of working with, and focusing on, financial institutions to help them become best in class, we share three key learnings.
Staying Connected with your Clients During COVID-19
Discover how you can continue to strengthen your engagements and remain connected with customers over digital for the time being, through Coconut’s platform. Learn more about our virtual meetings, insights, lobby management, and other tools that will help you foster engagements through our software.
The Branch is Convenient, But Customers Want More
Despite the ongoing shift toward digital services and distancing banking, the branch is far from dead. That said, customers are increasingly expecting a seamless experience when switching between the convenient digital tools they use every day and the branch environment they trust for their most important financial matters.
Remote Video Banking: Future Proof Branch Strategies
Photo Credit: https://writix.co.uk/ Deploying a digital-first banking platform is not only now possible, but mandatory for financial institutions of all sizes — but this doesn’t mean getting rid of physical locations altogether. 77% of customers still prefer visiting the branch when they want to discuss complex financial topics, and even for digital banking customers, speaking with a live representative still evokes the greatest amount of positive sentiment. Finding that perfect balance between digital and human services is the key to establishing a future proof branch. As a follow up to Part 3 in our series, today we will be examining the 4th of 5 different strategies that banks and credit unions can implement in order to set their branches up for success in this rapidly changing landscape. Introduce Remote Video Banking Video banking has been popular for years now, with many banks having installed ITMs — interactive teller machines — for their drive-up and in-branch kiosks. A number of financial institutions have been successful with this technology, but technology has evolved, and consumer habits with it. Today, millions of people are making video calls through FaceTime and Skype every day, video conferencing in the office is commonplace, and telecommuting is on the rise. With remote video calling becoming so mainstream, customers are beginning to question the need for a branch visit in order to engage with a banking assistant. The expectation that their financial institution extend the same capabilities that they enjoy everyday in communicating with their friends and colleagues to things like mortgage applications and investment consultations is on the rise. “We recognize that [SMB customers] work unconventional hours, are traveling or might not be able to visit a branch for a number of other reasons. Being able to access RBC Small Business specialists via video wherever and whenever they want helps them maintain that personal connection they expect with our bank.” Cathy HonorSVP Contact Centers, Royal Bank of Canada Currently, most remote video offerings like those of RBC are created for specific use cases — with RBC it’s SMB clients, while others like Barclay’s provide limited retail banking services. In these early stages, these constraints to service levels work to streamline implementation as specialized representatives are able to serve customers from central video contact centers. However, if remote video banking is to be extended to more services in the future, it should also be extended to include the branch itself. Along with allowing branches to leverage the talented and experienced staff they already employ, it would allow customers the option to engage in a video engagement with a local representative that they know and trust. This not only plays to the strengths of the branch in providing expert face-to-face financial advice, but also fits with what customers are expecting from digital services. According to research from Kony Inc, although 57% of customers want all products, services and support to be available digitally, they want those digital offerings to be supported by a named company representative. Customers want digital, but they also want the trust, security and relationship that comes from physical services. This means combining physical and digital services rather than separating them into two divergent channels — the branch and the video contact center should be working to support each other. Are Customers Ready? According to a recent study, the future of video banking looks bright, with the vast majority of consumers who try it rating the experience highly. Somewhat surprisingly, consumers who have used in-branch video banking rate their satisfaction with the service slightly higher than those using video services remotely. A difference that could be the result of remote video banking customers having to navigate the system on their own. The study also found that it is inaccurate to assume that younger, more upscale customers are the most likely to accept video banking. In their research, it was found that all consumers, regardless of age, gender or socioeconomic status, are generally open to trying video banking if/when their bank or credit union asks them. The fact is that as branches continue to shrink, customers are still going to want to get face time with skilled advisors. The numbers show that 50% of US financial customers are willing to try online banking if their bank offers it, and as illustrated previously, they are generally quite accepting of the technology once they’ve experienced it for themselves. With this in mind, a branch looking toward the future would do well to begin bringing video banking capabilities into their locations today. Doing so will not only enable them to differentiate themselves from the competition today, but to provide both themselves and their customers with a head start on the larger remote video banking transition that is almost sure to happen in the future. Check out the other articles in the Future Proof Branch Strategies Series: PART ONE – Self Service Kiosks Examining the benefits and capabilities that self service kiosks can bring to your branch by eliminating many of the pain points that customers associate with their visit. PART TWO – Café Style Branches We discuss design changes in the lobby that can help to encourage relationship building and conversations between advisors and their customers. PART THREE – Smart ATMs Exploring the changes that are being introduced through new Smart ATMs and where that may take us — and the frontline staff that many fear they replace — in the years ahead. What Next? Looking for more strategies to meet your customers’ changing expectations around the in-branch experience? Download the full report Becoming Future Proof: Five Proven Strategies for the Branches of the Future to learn more methods in technology, design, and service that branches can take advantage of to adapt in the rapidly changing financial landscape. Interested to hear what top experts in financial customer experience have to say about the coming challenges branches are looking forward to? Watch our panel discussion Embracing a Customer-First Mindset: Eliminate Friction Points in Your Customer Multi-Channel Journey. Ready to start taking
The Top 4 Ways Branch Technology Can Match Customer Interest
From Teller Lines to Teller Less: Highlights From the Future Branches Report With the rise of Fintech and a customer base that’s becoming increasingly comfortable with the ease and convenience provided by new technology, banks have had to work harder than ever at bringing people into their physical branches. Tablets, video conferencing, digital signage and other technology has become standard in most modern banks and credit unions, and investments in personnel training has risen significantly. But how successful have they been in their efforts? Which branch technology implementations have been successful in matching customer interest? And importantly, what strategies have been most effective at keeping the branch ahead of the competition? Diving into the facts around customer-facing technologies, this report investigates how changes in the industry are transforming the physical branch. To compile this research, Future Branches conducted an industry survey of 100 banking professionals to develop a clear view into the current state of the branch experience, and where it’s heading in the years to come. View a summary of some of the highlights from their findings below, or download the full report to discover what banks are doing to match customer interest. 1. Banks are investing heavily in self-service technology The top 4 investment priorities reported in this study were digital signage (61%), video conferencing (58%), self-service tools (54%), and tablets for customer use (54%). Based on these results, it’s clear that banks are prioritizing customer-facing solutions — specifically, self-service technologies and digital display technologies — above others. The fact that over half of respondents are prioritizing video conferencing technology is significant. This is indicative of an ongoing trend to expand branch services into new geographical areas by creating “hub and spoke” branch arrangements and by enabling internet-connected customers to reach trained personnel from the comfort of their own homes, which fits in with another reported priority of banks in the study — to make banking more seamless with their customers’ personal lives (50%). “The bank wants more customer interaction at the branch. We believe we can achieve the desired levels of interaction through technology services.” – Information Technology Professional, Regional Bank For more in-depth survey results and expert insights, download the full report now. 2. Larger banks have a tech advantage The study found that 21% of banks believe they are behind their competitors in terms of the sophistication of their in-branch technology—that is, the degree to which they have modernized their physical branches. This study found that the majority of banks reporting themselves to be in this situation categorize themselves as regional or community banks or credit unions, while every global and the majority of national banks tended to claim they were “already a leader” or that they were at least “competitive”. But smaller banks and credit unions are rising to the challenge. While 21% believe themselves to be behind the competition, 20% are confident that they are making meaningful progress. “We have been an attraction for technology consultants and service providers over the years to try new technology which they have developed, and which we can use in our branches.” – Marketing Professional, Regional Bank For more in-depth survey results and expert insights, download the full report now. 3. Customer-facing tech is viewed as the safer investment With the wealth of tech available to financial institutions today, it’s perhaps not surprising that nearly half of banks (48%) are prioritizing implementing new technologies across all their branches. To support these new technologies, banks are prioritizing the training of in-branch personnel on customer-facing technologies (47%) and to a slightly lower extent, back-end technologies (41%). Looking more closely at the numbers, it appears that the difference could be resulting from pain points in training for new back-end systems, with banks reporting pain in that area sitting 3% higher than those reporting the training as a priority. Conversely, just 36% of banks report pains in training staff on customer-facing technology — more than 10% below those prioritizing that area of training. Looking at this, it appears that in their aim to match customer interest, most banks view investing in self-service style customer-facing technology to be much easier to implement. “Our bank wants to give complete experiences to our customers and to keep them excited by introducing new technologies on a regular basis.” – Marketing Professional, National Bank For more in-depth survey results and expert insights, download the full report now. 4. Banks are keen on overcoming pain points in training As discussed in the previous point, in order to take advantage of the latest technologies, banks are prioritizing the development of robust training regimens to get their in-branch personnel up to speed. The value of this high investment in training is clearly reflected in responses showing that 68% of banks rating themselves as ‘competitive’ or ‘a leader’ in terms of their in-branch personnel, but it isn’t without its challenges. In the study, respondents cited the struggle to create comprehensive training programs which accommodate branch personnel of different backgrounds and different levels of experience as a major pain point. Furthermore, measuring the development of personnel after training, keeping training relevant as new technologies continue to disrupt the industry, and retaining personnel after investing in their training are all issues that came up multiple times. “Retaining the personnel after we have spent on training them on the technology that they have [is our biggest pain point]. When they choose to move to another organization, we have to spend on training the next person, which does have a cost challenge.” – Sales and Service Professional, Regional Bank For more in-depth survey results and expert insights, download the full report now. Discover A Modern Way to Engage Get In Touch What Next? Ready to learn more about the way customers view the role of the branch in this rapidly changing digital landscape? Download the full Future Branches Study — From Teller Line to Teller-less: Aligning Your Mix of In-Branch Employees and Technologies with Customer Interests. Looking for more unique perspectives on the
Coconut and Finn AI: Engagements Get Smarter
Artificial intelligence is rapidly spreading across industries that rely heavily on data — which these days includes almost all of them — and the financial services sector is no exception. With banks and credit unions seeking out new ways to leverage this technology, Coconut is proud to now be able to provide the ability to use AI to improve customer interactions through our new partnership with the world’s leading AI-powered conversational banking technology provider, Finn AI. This partnership will provide bank customers with the ability to engage and schedule a meeting with their financial service provider using a multi-turn conversational model that is API-integrated with the Coconut Software platform. For example, a customer could chat with a virtual advisor to gain personalized mortgage advice, receive pre-approval, and book a meeting to complete the process, all while following a simple, natural conversation. In the hunt to reduce costs while servicing increasingly tech-savvy customers, AI-based chatbot solutions provide an excellent opportunity to bring new opportunities for engagement. Most often, these chatbots are developed with two-way communication in mind, supplementing channels such as phone, email or text for customers looking for quick service and transactional support. However, while most basic tasks such as balance inquiry, bank account details or loan queries can be handled by a bot efficiently, issues can arise when a bot encounters a request that requires a face-to-face meeting. “At Coconut, our goal is to provide banks and credit unions with methods to engage and manage customers on a personal level, no matter their channel of preference,” said Katherine Regnier, CEO of Coconut Software. “With this partnership, financial institutions are able to deliver additional convenience and tailored advice that seamlessly bridges the physical-digital divide, providing huge benefits to customer acquisition and retention.” Despite growing demand for personalized digital experiences, of all financial customers who head to their institution’s website or app for service, 35% of them will wind up visiting a branch to complete their journey. Whether they do so because the service they requested requires human support, or they simply prefer conducting their banking in person, providing them with a method to move from advice and service to appointment scheduling through a natural online conversation, banks can eliminate friction that often occurs for those thirty five percent. Another issue for today’s digital customers is that few of them are conducting their banking activity during business hours. And while most banks do offer a 24/7 contact center number, the fact is that the majority of customers are not making phone calls much anymore. These days, chat is king, and a round-the-clock instant chat feature is expected by the increasingly digital ‘always-on’ consumer. This means that banks with chatbots built into their websites have a competitive advantage, and are likelier to attract and retain customers. And a chatbot that saves customers from having to switch to a phone call to book an appointment when needed is an incredible bonus. “A fall off point for banks — that do not have a fully digital journey — is getting the consumer to interact with a banker, either in person or on the phone, after they have demonstrated an interest in a product online,” said Jake Tyler, CEO of Finn AI. “By integrating with Coconut Software, we’re bridging that gap and making it easier for banks to interact with and convert online prospects.” Studies have already shown that people find phone calls tedious and slow as compared to instant chat. Customers are looking for speed and personalization when interacting with their financial institution. At the same time, they don’t want the impersonal experience of email or online forms. Intelligent customer support chatbots offer a mix of both live conversation and speed. By providing a way for banks and credit unions to establish personal interactions online — and importantly, to maintain them even when it’s necessary to move the conversation offline — organizations are able to improve customer interactions, and ultimately exceed customer expectations. View the press release here. Discover A Modern Way to Engage Get in Touch About Finn AI Founded in 2014, Finn AI is the world’s leading AI-powered conversational banking technology provider, working with top financial institutions including: ATB Financial, Bank of Montreal (BMO), Banpro Grupo Promerica, Fidor Bank, and TymeBank, as well as partnerships with Auth0, Fidor Solutions, MX, Temenos, and Visa Canada. Banks use the award-winning Finn AI platform to transform and deepen customer engagement –providing a truly personalized digital-first experience– while delivering the operational efficiencies and cost savings of conversational AI. For more information visit finn.ai. About Coconut Software Coconut Software is a leading provider of customer engagement solutions, empowering modern banks and credit unions including: Vancity, United Federal Credit Union, Servus Credit Union, and Royal Bank of Canada. By delivering seamless experiences for both financial institutions and their customers, Coconut Software helps to bridge the gap between digital and physical channels and improve operational efficiencies. Through technology that supports enhanced customer experiences across all touchpoints, Coconut’s solutions consistently increase satisfaction scores, decrease churn, and strengthen acquisition. Product Info Lobby Management Data Sheet
Embracing a Customer-First Mindset: Key Findings
In our recent panel discussion, financial industry experts weighed in on changing customer expectations. Check the highlights here.
Tracking Appointment Analytics to Improve Customer Experience
Learn to use appointment and customer data to give your organization an edge over the competition. Track appointment analytics with Coconut Software.
Organizational Loyalty and Customer Experience
With the current wave of digital transformation sweeping over the FinServe industry, organizational loyalty have become key to success. Customers are beginning to expect and demand the enhanced customer journey that comes with it from their service providers. These changes have brought them benefits like real-time service and immediate interactions between organizations and their customers, and customers are hungry for more. Plus, with the increased revenue and efficiency that digital transformation is bringing businesses, management has an appetite as well. If your organization is not taking advantage of these benefits, missing out on this wave of new technology could be detrimental to your customer retention rate. How the Customer Journey Has Evolved Alongside the Digital Transformation of the FinServ Industry Increase Transparency in your Appointment Journey Updating your customers in regards to how long it will take for them to complete their service request allows them to better understand where they stand in their appointment journey. When customers know where they are in the customer journey, there is an increased chance that they will complete their interaction with your organization as opposed to abandoning their request due to uncertainty about how long they will have to wait until it can be completed. Provide Instant Gratification to Enhance the Customer Experience The internet has programmed consumers to expect access to information and services whenever and wherever they want. Because of this, customers have come to expect 24/7, real-time access to their service organizations. By mapping out the appointment journey in your organization, you will be able to assess areas that are slowing down the process for your customers, and delaying their need for instant gratification. And by identifying these areas of improvement, you will be able to enhance the appointment journey and provide your customers with the “always on, always available” level of service that they crave. Enhance the Customer Journey by Providing Variety in Your Contact Options Customers do not want to be forced through the funnel of slow, inefficient legacy channels when they contact your organization. Today’s customers demand variety and autonomy when choosing how they want to interact with you, and this is something that every organization, especially those dealing with something as personal and vital as finance, needs to deliver on. Whether customers want to contact your business through the contact center, online or in person, you want to ensure that whatever channel they choose, they experience a streamlined customer journey. How an Integrated Appointment Management Solution Will Enhance Operational Processes and Reduce Wait Times Increase transparency with an appointment management solution Implementing an appointment management solution enables you to provide your customers with a streamlined walk-in appointment experience. When your customers arrive for a walk-in appointment, they will be able to take instant advantage of a specialized lobby management solution to see what services are available, when they could expect to see an advisor and where they sit in the waiting process, reducing the chances of service abandonment that accompany unclear wait times in your branch locations. And when your branch is too busy to serve them quickly, customers will be free view future availability and schedule an appointment for a later date. When your organization offers a transparent appointment journey, customers will be able to manage their time better, while your organization is able to ensure a significant drop in abandoned appointments and the disruptions they can cause in workflow. Enhance the customer experience with instant gratification With the digital transformation taking place in the FinServ industry, online channels have become not only preferred but expected by customers. By providing your customers with real-time service, you will reduce the rate of customer churn in your organization. With a centralized online appointment scheduling solution, you will be able to provide customers with an online platform where they can access your organization 24/7. By allowing your customers to view advisor qualification and real-time availability across different branches before scheduling and receiving instant confirmation for in-person interactions online, you are providing them with around the clock access and deliver the instant gratification that they have come to expect. All while ensuring accurate service. Enhance legacy channels to improve the appointment journey Some customers prefer to remain consistent in the way that they interact with your organization, taking advantage of outdated legacy channels to book their appointments. With an appointment management solution, you will be able to quickly and easily update these channels for customers who haven’t migrated to the new systems while at the same time attracting tech savvy younger generations through the digital transformation of your newer channels. With online appointment scheduling, your customers will be able to schedule in-person interactions through booking links, buttons, online chats or any other method they are comfortable with. By offering multiple updated channels and a true omnichannel experience, you provide your customers with autonomy, enabling them to decide how they would like to interact with your organization. Streamline the Appointment Journey and Reduce Wait Times With Coconut Software’s Appointment Management Solution When customers start their interaction with your organization through an effortlessly streamlined process, you are setting your organization up for success. With Coconut Software’s integrated appointment management solution, there are multiple implementations available to you that can help enhance your operational efficiencies and reduce wait times for your customers, reducing customer churn and increasing business in your branch locations. What’s next? Ready to discover how you can streamline your customer journey? Schedule a Customer Effort Assessment. Interested in learning how appointment scheduling can help your entire organization engage more efficiently and effectively with customers? Download our Customer Experience Whitepaper. Ready to get started? Schedule a consultation today.
Customer Effort Score Explained, and How Banks and Credit Unions Can Enhance it
As a bank or credit union, your customers depend on you for their high-value financial needs, so you want them to be able to access your appointment scheduling channels as easily as possible in order to drive that additional revenue to your organization. In this blog post, we will discuss how you can improve your Customer Effort Score (CES), simplifying communication processes to help drive more revenue to your organization and continue growing your business. Ready to discover how your walk-in appointment processes can be enhanced? Schedule a customer effort assessment. What is the Customer Effort Score? The Customer Effort Score (CES) is a new metric that is becoming increasingly important to consider in customer-facing businesses that rely on positive customer experience to drive revenue, especially vital in financial services. Essentially, it is a method of measuring customer service satisfaction to help organizations build loyalty by reducing the effort it takes to complete a service request. To measure it, customers are asked a series of simple questions related to how easy it is to perform actions with your organization. Taken as a whole, their responses can provide you with a quantitative value to work with in order to improve upon the experience your organization provides. Friction points in the customer journey that are affecting your organization’s Customer Effort Score As an appointment driven business, you rely on customers to schedule and ultimately show up for appointments with your organization. There are typically a variety of ways in which customers can get in touch with your organization, which is exactly what you want as it provides greater convenience. However, issues can arise when these methods of communication require an excess of effort for the customer and create barriers along the customer journey. Below we’ve outlined three aspects of the customer journey that have been found to pose the most significant barriers and may be up for improvement when looking to boost your organization’s CES. Lengthy Call Handle Time Did you know 80% of customers drop off the line when placed on hold for over 1 minute to schedule an appointment? Your customers’ time is valuable and by increasing efficiencies and reducing hold and call handling time when a customer calls into your contact center to schedule an appointment, you reduce the effort it takes to make the appointment. and significantly improve your organization’s CES. Providing contact center reps with tools to simplify the booking process will increase appointments at your organization and ultimately your branch revenue. Branch Traffic Wait Time Walk-in branch service requests are a convenient point of contact for many customers and a serious revenue driver for many businesses. However, branch traffic volume can be unpredictable, with unexpected influxes leaving your customers waiting and your staff overwhelmed. To reduce the sense of effort a customer feels while waiting in a service queue, it’s vital to have tools in place that remove frustrations like uncertain wait times and accessible alternatives. By providing your customers with a clear expectation of when a representative will be able to see them and how long it will take, you provide them with more freedom and let them know that their business is appreciated. Reviewing customer history Existing customers want to be remembered and have their loyalty to your brand acknowledged, so having a solution in place that is capable of capturing, organizing and storing their history, preferences and other pertinent information with your organization is vital to providing them with the personal touch they’re looking for. By saving customers from having to input their information at every touchpoint, you display to them that they are highly valued and more than simply a number in a system, leading to an increase in your business’ CES along with greater client retention. How an Enterprise Appointment Management Solution can help address these customer pains and enhance your CES Many of the issues that could be affecting the Customer Effort Score in your organization are an easy fix with the right solution. As an appointment driven business, streamlining the scheduling process is key to addressing issues that may be affecting your score. This is where an appointment management solution comes in. Streamline the call center process Implementing an integrated appointment management solution into your organization’s call center can streamline the appointment scheduling process and subsequently reduce both initial hold and call handling times. This will enhance operational efficiencies in your organization, allowing call center representatives to process more calls per day and drive more business to your branch locations. Additionally, it will boost your Customer Effort Score with a smooth and effortless call process that greatly reduces the time your customers have to dedicate to schedule an appointment. Enhance the walk-in experience for your customers With the often disruptive nature of walk-in appointments, managing the scheduling system to help streamline the experience for both your customers and customer-facing advisors is key to removing frustrations. One method by which you can utilize an appointment management solution to improve the walk-in appointment experience is by linking it with a lobby management solution. This will assist in managing the walk-in traffic at your branch locations while updating customers with real-time advisor availability, allowing them to better manage the time they spend waiting for their appointment and reducing service abandonment. Create a personalized experience for your customers When customers are not recognized and consistently required to review their history with your organization at each touchpoint, they are missing out on the personal touch they crave, and your organization is missing out on key opportunities to improve its Customer Effort Score. With an integrated appointment management solution, your organization will be able to record customer information on a single integrated platform that is accessible by all customer-facing staff, ensuring that your customers receive a more personalized experience. Streamline the customer journey across all channels to drive new business and increase revenue with Coconut Software. When customers start out their interaction with your organization through an effortlessly streamlined process, you are setting your
The Importance of Customer Journey Mapping
Failing to understand and map out how a new solution will fit into an existing customer journey risks making the experience worse, rather than better. After implementing new technology, there is an increased risk of a low adoption rate from customers. More often than not, this lack of adoption stems from the fact that the overall customer journey played a minimal role in implementation, which ultimately creates friction as opposed to solving existing challenges. If the process is too clunky or long, you could lose new customers before they even book an appointment with your organization. Additionally, current customers could get annoyed with a poorly implemented tool which could negatively impact retention. Back-end processes could get even more confusing for employees and it could lead to inefficiencies, if not properly integrated into the existing systems and processes that power the customer journey. Different organizations have different use cases and just because the technology was successfully implemented a certain way in one organization, does not mean it will work for you and your customers. Mapping out the customer journey prior to rolling out your new solution allows you to ensure it is functioning in the most beneficial way for your organization’s unique use case. Learn how an efficient, well-thought-out experience can be a great differentiator in Coconut Software’s Optimize the Customer Experience with Enterprise Appointment Scheduling white paper. The Benefits of Customer Journey Mapping As an appointment-driven business, you want to ensure the appointment scheduling process is seamless for your customers. If you have chosen to implement an enterprise appointment scheduling solution, it is in your best interests to practice customer journey mapping before offering the tool to your customers. 1. Ensure the solution addresses the identified problem By mapping out the customer journey of your new implementation, you will ensure the tool addresses the problem you identified in your operational processes that prompted you to initiate the implementation of this new solution. For example, with enterprise appointment scheduling, if your customers are demanding 24-hour access to your organization, you want to ensure you are not only implementing the scheduling solution to speed up appointment scheduling processes in your contact center, but you are also providing an online channel customers can use to schedule appointments with your organization whenever and wherever works for them. 2. Ensure the solution provides a seamless customer-journey When implementing a customer-facing solution, you want to ensure it provides a seamless experience for your customers. For example, enterprise appointment scheduling is a customer-facing solution that helps drive revenue to your organization. It is in your best interest to map out the customer journey of your scheduling solution to ensure it meets the needs of your customers and provides a premium experience. 3. Improve the quality of your appointments Ultimately, when implementing integrated appointment scheduling, you want to ensure the solution enables you to improve the appointment experience for your customers. By mapping out the journey of your new scheduling solution, you can ensure you are rolling it out in a way that gives your customer-facing advisors the information they need to provide the best appointment experience to your customers. With enterprise appointment scheduling, you are able to capture additional information during the scheduling process so you can ensure your customers are getting the most out of their scheduled appointment. And your customers will get confirmation and reminder notifications so they’ll show up to the right location at the correct time, increasing your appointment completion rate while decreasing no-shows. Coconut Software Helps Map Your Unique Customer Journey At Coconut Software, our onboarding team is dedicated to providing our customers with a personalized implementation process to ensure you receive the most out of your scheduling solution. During the implementation process, our onboarding staff will discuss current challenges and overall goals with the stakeholders involved in the roll-out of your new solution to understand and help create your unique workflow. With the information about your unique use case and challenges you are hoping to address, we will help you map the customer journey for your new solution. And, moving forward, our customer success team is available to help you manage and alter your workflow once you go live. By mapping out the customer journey of your new solution, you will give yourself peace of mind knowing you chose the best solution for your organization and that it is delivering business results against your KPIs. What’s Next Learn how an efficient, well-thought-out experience can be a great differentiator in a market flooded with options for consumers in Coconut Software’s Optimize the Customer Experience with Enterprise Appointment Scheduling white paper. Looking to boost revenue and deliver a premium experience to your clients? Schedule a consultation with Coconut Software to learn more about how our appointment scheduling solutions can get you there. Product Info Lobby Management Data Sheet