The Branch Isn't Dead After All
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Jeffry,
No branch isn't dead, which is why I entitled this posting, The Branch Isn't Dead After All. I was being somewhat glib, when I say, "Didn't these banks get the memo? The Branch is Dead!" and that doesn't come across in a blog.
We invited a speaker at a Celent event to talk about how he using branch experience to build a bank. I do believe that banks need to rethink the role of the branch in that we at Celent are seeing declining branch transaction counts. Branches won't die; they will evolve.
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The Branch as we know it IS dead... it just hasn't happened yet. Just as with the case of buggy-whip makers who were shocked that their product became obsolete with the proliferation of automobiles, Bankers will find that the Branch will evolve into something that is completely different.
There will be fewer branches, they will be smaller, entirely focused on value-added activity (financial planning, lending, investments, etc.) and have fewer employees who are more like Sales people rather than tellers.
Will the Bank Branch disappear - No; will it evolve to a point beyond today's recognition - ABSOLUTELY!
PS: there will also be many fewer FIs (Banks and Credit Unions) in the US.
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Yes, I completely agree. Please see my report on the pressures on small banks: It Takes More than a Village: The Decline of the Community Bank
http://www.celent.com/reports/it-takes-more-village-decline-community-bankor Bob Meara's report:
Branch Banking in a Multichannel World, Parts I and II
http://www.celent.com/reports/branch-banking-multichannel-world-part-ii
I've not heard one banker tell me branches were dead — not once in 15 years. The only people who have made that claim are consultants, most of whom work in the online/digital space, and even then, they are only looking at the transactional side of branches.
In the last 3-6 months, I've seen new prototype branches coming from Citi, Umpqua, RBC, BofA, et al. These banks recognize branches are changing. They are experimenting and evolving their store designs accordingly.
Saying "branches are dead" might have seemed plausible in the mid 90s when the internet was taking off, but these days it just makes someone sound foolish.