With pandemic-driven spikes in digital activity and major changes to the in-branch experience, banks are dealing with operational stresses like never before. Managers are faced with new hygienic rules, changes in customer behavior, and much more.

Operating in such an unpredictable and fast-changing environment risks substandard customer service, lost revenue, and compliance violations. The situation also underscores existing gaps in both communications and operational execution.

The problems are significant, as Reflexis’ research has demonstrated. We recently sponsored our Second International Branch Banking Employee Survey, in which we polled 1,228 banking managers from North America and Europe on how COVID-19 has changed their industry. The findings illustrate how banks are facing the following trends:

• A reduction in both banking staff and locations
• Fewer employees in each open branch
• Inefficient branch network communications (particularly after the pandemic’s arrival)