Study Finds Conversations Play Critical Role In Consumers' Financial Decisions

min read
Study Finds Conversations Play Critical Role In Consumers' Financial Decisions

In the intricate landscape of financial services, decisions surrounding mortgages, car loans, and other financial products are not merely transactions but pivotal milestones. Customers embarking on these journeys seek more than just filling out online forms; they want a reassuring conversation with a genuine human being. These decisions often represent significant investments and life-altering choices, laden with complexity and nuance. Consequently, the human touch becomes paramount, as customers seek not only answers but also the reassurance that can only be provided through dialogue.

In our recent study, we found that the importance of offering customers the opportunity to connect with knowledgeable professionals during their buying journey remains paramount. In this post, we'll break down the results and share how financial services companies can prepare for the future by providing seamless phone call experiences.

Report Findings: Financial Services Customers Want to Call During The Buying Journey

To understand how consumers interact with their banks, we surveyed more than 1,200 people on the process of borrowing money. Sample findings include:

  • 75% of consumers say it’s important or extremely important to be able to easily switch between channels when interacting with their bank.
  • 93% of people who took out loans of $100,000 or more made at least one call to the financial institution they ultimately chose for their loan.
  • 57% of people are more likely to take out a loan from a financial institution that has provided a positive phone experience.

As banking becomes more digital, it’s clear that human interaction will still play a large role in financial services. For example, while 80% of people use their bank’s app for checking balances or transferring money, consumers prefer to use offline interactions for more complex or sensitive issues. Banks need to think beyond digital, as phone calls and branch visits build trust, confidence, and long-lasting relationships, which are critical for consumers choosing an institution from which to purchase high-value financial products and safeguard their finances.

4 Ways Financial Services Companies Can Prepare for the Future

1. Provide High-Quality Live Agent Support to Complement Your Online Experience

In the banking and financial services sector, providing high-quality, live agent support is indispensable to complement the online customer experience. While online banking has brought convenience and efficiency to the forefront, complex financial queries and concerns often necessitate the expertise and empathy of a live agent. These professionals can provide nuanced insights, answer questions, and offer personalized solutions that digital interfaces alone may struggle to deliver. Exceptional customer service becomes a critical differentiator in an industry where trust and reliability are paramount. By seamlessly integrating top-notch agent support with the online experience, banks not only ensure customer satisfaction but also build lasting relationships founded on trust, solidifying their position as trusted financial partners in an increasingly digital world.

2. Implement Intelligent Routing so Callers Reach the Right Agent Quickly

Implementing intelligent call routing is paramount for ensuring that callers reach the right agent quickly. This technology leverages digital intent data to guide callers to the agents best equipped to address their specific needs. By analyzing caller behavior and preferences, it ensures that each interaction is as relevant and productive as possible, not only reducing wait times but also enhancing the overall customer experience. Intelligent routing aligns callers with agents who possess the necessary expertise or language skills, fostering quicker resolutions and higher satisfaction rates. In a world where efficiency and personalization are key, this technology represents a vital tool for call centers, optimizing resources and boosting profitability while ensuring that each caller feels heard and valued.

3. Automate Contact Center Quality Assurance to to Improve Coaching

Automating contact center quality assurance is a game-changer for enhancing coaching and agent performance. It leverages the power of conversation intelligence to evaluate 100% of customer interactions, rather than just a small sample. By automating this process, it eliminates the need for time-consuming manual evaluations and offers real-time insights, allowing for immediate feedback and coaching opportunities. In addition, automated QA allows you to easily identify compliance issues before they result in hefty fines. This empowers managers to spend more time coaching agents, and less time listening to calls.

4. Track the Phone Calls Your Financial Services Marketing Drives with AI

Invoca's call tracking solution helps financial services marketers get deep attribution for their campaigns. It goes beyond traditional online lead tracking by providing a clear picture of how many phone leads a campaign is driving. This is crucial in the financial industry, where many customers prefer to have in-depth conversations before making important decisions. By harnessing AI, Invoca enables marketers to not only measure the effectiveness of their online efforts but also understand the offline conversions driven by phone calls. This holistic view empowers marketers to optimize campaigns effectively, allocate resources where they have the most impact, and ultimately maximize return on investment (ROI) in an industry where every lead is precious.

How MoneySolver Uses Invoca to Improve Customer Conversations

MoneySolver is a national financial services company based in Jacksonville, Florida. Because MoneySolver had a large contact center team, giving each agent meaningful feedback about their performance was a challenge. To solve this problem, they rolled out Invoca automated call quality assurance. This allowed them to set up AI-powered scorecards to automatically QA agent performance on every call, not just a small sample. Now that all calls are being reviewed by unbiased AI, agents can no longer blame a bad score on a QA person. This has increased their engagement and made them more motivated to take ownership of their performance.

Additional Resources

Want to learn more about how leading financial services teams use Invoca to deliver better experiences at the contact center? Check out these resources:

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