2014 Growth Strategy Survey: Technology’s Role in a More Profitable Bank

It’s not overstating the case to say that meeting strategic growth goals in today’s current climate is a huge challenge for the nation’s banks. In fact, 84 percent of the officers and board members who responded to Bank Director’s 2014 Growth Strategy Survey, sponsored by Vernon Hills, Illinois-based technology firm CDW, say that today’s highly competitive environment is their institutions’ greatest challenge when it comes to organic growth—a challenge further exacerbated by the increasing number of challengers from outside the industry primed to steal business from traditional banks.

Technology can be a valuable tool in differentiating the bank’s offerings to consumers, and as a part of the bank’s overall strategy, can help make the institution more profitable. Many of the directors and executives responding to the survey reveal that they want to know more about how technology can make the bank more efficient, and which technology trends can improve their customers’ experience. The technology is out there—but many industry leaders don’t know what technology to use, or how to deploy it. So bank boards give the topic a wide berth: Just 30 percent say that technology is on the agenda for every board meeting.

More than 100 directors and senior executives of banks nationwide responded to the survey, which was conducted by email in June and July.

Key Findings:

• Respondents reveal a strong need to better understand how technology can make the bank more efficient and improve the customer experience – but just 30 percent say that their board discusses technology at every board meeting. The majority of respondents, 47 percent, address the issue quarterly.
• Fifty-two percent of directors and officers want to better understand business intelligence and analytics. More than 40 percent of all respondents, 78 percent of those from banks with more than $5 billion in assets, currently use data to support the bank’s growth goals. An additional 15 percent plan to use analytics over the next 12 months.
• More than half reveal concerns about how their bank will address the evolving state of mobile banking. Eighty-seven percent offer mobile banking and 12 percent plan to offer this service to customers.
• Omnichannel banking, which integrates delivery channels such as mobile, online and branch, is a great source of uncertainty for senior management and directors. Almost half say that they want a better understanding of this approach to banking. More than one-third use or plan to use omnichannel banking to grow within the next year—but an almost equal number are unsure how or when omnichannel banking will be integrated within their organization.
• Core processors can make or break the organization’s ability to innovate, especially at community banks that depend on vendors for their technological know-how. Half reveal that their core processor is slow to respond to innovations.
• One-quarter of respondents say that their IT staff lacks the resources to support the bank’s growth plans and current operations, with many citing a need for additional or more highly trained staff.

Download the summary results in PDF format.