Branch Solution for the Banking Industry

Overview

Turn each customer interaction into a sales opportunity with integrated, complete customer data and the communications and collaboration tools employees need to work efficiently. Prepare your branches for industry changes with a scalable, flexible infrastructure that can be quickly adapted to meet needs and take advantage of opportunities. At the same time, reduce the cost of asset management by simplifying IT management and employee training.

Microsoft focuses on helping financial organizations leverage technology to amplify the impact their people can deliver to drive business success. One way we do that is by providing our customers with technology to enhance the customer experience. Solutions for the bank branch demonstrate how the branch can increase revenue while reducing costs and preparing for industry and compliance changes.

Business challengesSolutionsBenefits

Increase sales by helping employees become financial advisors

Bank customers are multichannel users of online services, ATMs, and the branch, which is a bank's main avenue for selling new products and services. As important revenue generators, branch employees must take full advantage of every face-to-face customer interaction as a possible sales opportunity.

Microsoft's powerful collaboration and integration tools, such as .NET, SQL, and BizTalk, help banks integrate systems and promote employee collaboration.

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 allows all users-regardless of location-to access the full complement of services from the network. Windows Vista Enterprise also makes it easy for branch employees to communicate, collaborate, and work with greater efficiency and effectiveness and enhances their ability to find, use, and secure data.

Help branch employees become financial advisors by providing them with a holistic view of each customer and the collaboration tools needed to take advantage of every customer interaction and up-sell/cross-sell opportunity, including the ability to collaborate with product and service offering experts who work remotely.

Improve customer relationships to increase revenue, through:

  • Faster resolution of customer issues and questions
  • Sophisticated multimedia tools that help customers quickly absorb complex information when purchasing loans and working on retirement and college savings plans
  • Improved ability for mobile bankers to securely tap into the community branch network while on the road
  • Expanded self-service opportunities for customers who desire to open accounts, analyze products, and make complex deposits without speaking to a teller
  • Digital signage opportunities that save money and provide new advertising revenue

Reduce operational costs through simplified IT management and employee training

Bank branches are looking for ways to improve operational efficiency and cut costs as they work to determine their future role with customers.

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista provide native capabilities to enhance deployment options, security, and remote management capabilities to drive cost out of the branches. Combined with an array of integrated virtualization and management solutions, this helps banks maximize and more efficiently use existing and new technology investments.

Windows Server 2008 also provides a centralized media services platform that can distribute multimedia presentations and videos for training. And Microsoft's familiar user interface helps decrease training time and increase employee adoption.

Reduce operational costs through simplified technology management.

Increase the performance, reliability, and responsiveness of existing networks.

  • A 40 percent more efficient use of existing network bandwidth between devices in the branch and those located centrally
  • The ability to maximize investments in existing servers

Decrease employee training costs with just-in-time, on-demand training for new branch workers and training to bring existing workers up to speed on new policies, promotions, and regulations-in the branch and at their convenience.

Position branches for industry change while improving employee productivity

In a competitive market that brings new entrants, deregulation, and multiple customer channels, banks are looking at the role of the branch-its purpose, its interaction with customers, even its layout. Even without yet knowing how the branch will evolve, banks can prepare for the changes by implementing flexible technology, which at the same time helps employees become more productive.

XML Web services and an event-driven, service-oriented architecture provide a flexible, scalable infrastructure, enabling a bank to expose common business services and processes for branch consumption to varied devices and user interfaces. Banks gain reusable business components that can be leveraged not only at the branch, but also across all channels for a consistent customer experience and company image.

Microsoft Unified Communications help banks manage all their communications-from e-mail and voice mail to video conferencing and scheduling-through familiar Microsoft tools. In addition, presence allows employees to see whether a colleague is available, helping them easily work together for greater productivity and better time management.

Prepare branches for change with solutions built on Microsoft's scalable infrastructure to redefine how to serve customers and take advantage of new opportunities.

Increase employee productivity through cross-channel integration and collaboration tools that give employees real-time access to information and colleagues, so they can spend more time providing consistent, high-level customer service and less time fulfilling administrative tasks.

Enhance security and regulatory compliance, through:

  • Increased protection of bank branch data
  • Continued employee productivity, even when the network is down
  • Centralized backup of critical files
  • Simplified compliance with banking regulations

Demonstrated Capabilities

  • Better employee access to information using Windows SharePoint Services and SharePoint Server
  • Enhanced communications and collaboration using SharePoint Services and Windows Vista Enterprise
  • Access to all network services for employees-regardless of location-with Windows Server 2008
  • Maximized and efficient use of previous technology investments with Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack for Software Assurance
  • Improved employee training with a centralized media services platform that can distribute multimedia presentations and training videos through Windows Server 2008
  • Enhanced employee ability to find, use, and secure data through Windows Vista Enterprise
Case studies

  • Issue: Italy's Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) wanted to grow through an integrated, multichannel strategy and to offer additional financial services and products. To meet these objectives, the bank sought to migrate its branch operations to digital channels and develop a greater focus on high-value customer services.

    Solution: MPS worked with Microsoft to develop a branch of the future-banking tailored to the lifestyles of its customers, who would be able to interact with the bank through a range of traditional or virtual channels, including instant messaging, Voice over Internet Protocol, and video conferencing. The technology framework was built using Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006, Microsoft SQL Server 2005, Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, and Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0.

    Benefit: Customers can interact with managers using instant messaging and video calls; appointments scheduled via SMS or e-mail can be inserted into schedules automatically; the company expects considerable customer growth and plans to open new branches; an integrated infrastructure reduces costs; a high-value service focus boosts loyalty; customers receive a fast, easy banking experience; and employees allocate resources more effectively.

  • Issue: HSBC, one of the largest banking and financial service organizations in the world, needed desktop management and server monitoring solutions that were scalable enough to support a globally distributed environment with 300,000 desktops and 15,000 server computers.

    Solution: HSBC met its needs with Microsoft System Center solutions, including Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 for desktop management and Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 for monitoring critical Windows-based servers.

    Benefit: By deploying Microsoft System Center solutions as an integral part of its Common Windows Desktop initiative, HSBC is improving the reliability and security features of its global desktop environment. System Center solutions also are helping the company's IT service group provide improved service to internal customers and maximize the cost savings obtained through a common desktop. HSBC is well on its way to meeting its goal of a 20 percent reduction in the total cost of ownership for its global desktop infrastructure.

  • Issue: Crédit Agricole wanted to adopt a unified communications solution to better share financial expertise throughout its branch network and to recruit and retain more customers.

    Solution: The bank deployed a unified communications pilot based on Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 integrated with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging. Handsets were supplied by LG-Nortel.

    Benefit: The pilot program showed that financial experts can work smarter with unified communications and more easily fulfill their mission of recruiting and retaining more retail banking customers and bringing new products to market faster. The innovation team forecasts that unified communications will significantly increase individual productivity. Video conferencing is now widely used and more cost-effective, and the solution provides an easier-to-manage infrastructure. The bank also is confident of achieving savings in operational cost and creating more retail banking income, specifically in rural branches, which will be able to deliver financial advice to prospective customers without the need for experts to travel for face-to-face customer interviews.

  • Issue: Banco Popular is the third-largest banking group in Spain. To keep its client platform updated and stay at the cutting edge of technology, Banco Popular accepted a proposal from Microsoft to install Windows Vista before its commercial launch.

    Solution: After a series of modifications to its installation and configuration tools, Banco Popular is phasing deployment of the Windows Vista operating system in its central service areas.

    Benefit: Banco Popular now has technology for the future, ease of deployment, enhanced security, an improved multilanguage environment, and increased productivity.

Partners

Find a Microsoft partner that offers a bank seller solution that meets your bank's needs.

  • ARGO Data Resource Corporation
    From a leading provider of best practices technology and architecture for top U.S. financial institutions, ARGO's BANKPRO Sales & Service serves as a foundation for deploying, managing, and sustaining front-line employee effectiveness.

  • Fiserv
    Fiserv provides outsourcing and software to over 15,000 financial service providers. Their solutions make it easy to store, aggregate, and access customer data, so branch employees have a complete customer view at every interaction.

  • Getronics
    Getronics helps retail banking clients manage and profit from the changes that affect their branch environment and other points of contact with customers. Getronics 3D for Retail Banking, which uses Microsoft technology, is a multi-dimensional branch automation solution.

  • Harland Financial Solutions
    The Harland Financial Solutions Encore! suite of integrated products offers comprehensive sales, service, and contact management capabilities for the branch office. Encore! operates in traditional client/server as well as thin client Web-based environments.

Technology