Mobile banking adoption continues to rise, with 25 million households accessing financial accounts via a mobile device in 2012, according to the Fiserv Consumer Trends Survey.

While mobile banking adoption rates among credit union members vary widely, the service is typically used by 15% to 20% of a credit union's online banking users. However, Fiserv analysis has shown that credit unions can achieve adoption rates up to two times higher than these averages by taking a proactive approach to marketing the service to members.

One resource that should not be overlooked when marketing mobile banking is the credit union's frontline staff, which includes branch and member care employees. Because they are viewed as professional experts by members, recommendations from branch and call center employees can significantly influence mobile banking adoption.

Members who use mobile banking appreciate the value that it provides, but the majority of non-users lack knowledge about what mobile banking is and the benefits it offers. Along with a lack of awareness, some members have questions or concerns about security.

Equipping staff with the right strategies, tools and resources will enable them to better communicate the benefits of the service and address member questions and concerns, effectively overcoming those hurdles to adoption. Here are five steps to follow:

1) Start with employee training

Credit unions that create a complete training program can provide their staff with the education and knowledge they need to serve as a credible source of information. Training should:

Educate member-facing staff on the value of mobile banking so they can actively promote that value to new and existing members.
Teach staff how to enroll members into mobile banking as part of the account opening procedure as well as how to encourage enrollment for existing members.
Explain to staff how to enroll the mobile devices of online banking users via the mobile enrollment section of the credit union's website.

2) Provide incentive options for staff

Incentives are a tried and true strategy used in virtually every industry to motivate individuals and teams to attain and surpass their goals. Credit unions can increase the level of engagement from branch and call center staff by providing incentives for promoting and enrolling members into mobile banking.

Some incentives that have proven successful include:

Providing incentives for training class participation. For example, when an employee participates in an eLearning module, they are entered into a drawing for a prize.
Entering employees who enroll in mobile banking into a drawing for a prize; personal use of mobile banking provides more in depth product knowledge that can be shared with members.
Rewarding the staff member or team who enrolls the most members in mobile banking.
Next Page: Creation and Evaluation

3) Create impactful marketing and promotional materials

Another key element of a successful adoption marketing strategy is to provide frontline staff with tools and resources to effectively aid in the promotion of mobile banking. Marketing and promotional materials used to support frontline staff include:

Talking points on how the service works and its benefits
Collateral takeaways such as tri-folds, pamphlets and wallet cards
In-branch collateral such as posters, promotional displays and counter cards

4) Evaluate success and impact

An extremely vital step in a successful frontline staff mobile banking campaign is to establish metrics and processes to measure its impact and gauge its success.

One recommendation is to develop a mobile channel dashboard that monitors key performance measures, such as percent of active users, percent of mobile banking users in relation to online banking users, and mobile transaction volumes.

By monitoring these metrics over time, credit unions can note growth and where adoption and use are lagging in order to best focus mobile adoption marketing campaigns and messages on specific member segments.

5) Encourage ongoing engagement with mobile banking users

To maintain a high level of satisfaction among mobile banking users, it is important for frontline staff to remain actively engaged with these members by continuing to remind them of the benefits and value of mobile banking.

This ongoing engagement and promotion can have a positive effect on mobile banking usage by keeping the service top of mind among members. It is also important to obtain feedback from mobile banking users on the service, their level of satisfaction with mobile banking and how much the mobile offering influences their overall satisfaction with the bank or credit union.

Because mobile banking usage can boost member satisfaction and reduce member care costs, credit unions stand to benefit from programs and strategies that drive adoption and increase utilization of the service.

Frontline staff, when properly educated and equipped, can be a tremendous asset in driving adoption and usage of mobile banking among members.

John Moon is senior manager of mobile adoption marketing at Fiserv Inc. in Brookfield, Wis.

Instant Insights /

Engaging Frontline Staff to Drive Mobile Banking Adoption

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