A version of this article originally appeared on the KlariVis blog.
There is a pervasive data conundrum throughout the financial services industry: Banks have an inordinate amount of data, but antiquated and siloed solutions are suppressing incredible, untapped opportunities to use it.
Data analytics offer banks seven distinct and tangible benefits; it’s essential that they invest adequate time and resources into finding the right solution.
1. Save Valuable Time
Time is money. Investing in data analytics can streamline operations and saves employees time. The right solution organizes data, eliminates spreadsheets, freeing up the gray space in any organization. Employees can quickly locate what they’re looking for, allowing them to focus on the tasks that are most meaningful to the institution. Instead of organizing and sifting through data, they can spend more time analyzing the information, making strategic decisions and communicating with customers.
2. Secure Compliance, Risk Management Features
Data analytics improves overall bank security. The regulatory environment for financial institutions is complex, and regulatory non-compliance can lead to major fines or enforcement actions for banks. Data analytics incorporates technology into the compliance and risk management processes, improving bank security by reducing the likelihood of human error and quickly detecting potential cases of fraud.
3. Increase Visibility
Data silos in banks are often a result of outdated data solutions. Additionally, granting only a few people or departments access to the full set of data can lead to miscommunication or misinformation. Data analytics solutions, such as enterprise dashboards, give financial institutions the ability to see their full institution clearly. Everyone having access to the same information — whether it be individual branch performance or loan reports —improves customer service, internal communication and overall efficiency.
4. Cut Down on Costs
There is a high cost of bad data. Bad data can be inaccurate, duplicative, incomplete, inaccessible or unusable. Banks that aren’t storing or managing collected data appropriately could be wasting valuable company resources. They could also incur bad data costs through inconclusive, expensive marketing campaigns, increased operational costs that distract employees from important initiatives or customer attrition. By comparison, an updated enterprise data solution keeps employees up-to-date and can reveal new growth opportunities.
5. Create Detailed Customer Profiles
All financial institutions want to know their customers better. Data analytics help generate detailed profiles that reveal valuable information, such as spending habits and channel preferences. Banks can create highly specific segments with these profiles and pinpoint timely cross-selling opportunities. The right data solution makes it easier to gather actionable insights that improve customer experience and increase profitability.
6. Empower Employees and Customer Experience
Empowered employees improve the customer experience; happier customers contribute to empowering employees. A powerful part of this cycle is data analytics. Data analytics produce actionable insights that save employees’ time so they can focus on what’s important. Banks can send timely, data-based relevant messaging, based on customer-expressed preferences and interests.
7. Improve Performance
More time spent connecting with customers allows employees to build a deeper understanding of their financial needs and ultimately improve the bank’s performance. The right data analytics solution leads to a more productive and profitable financial institution. In this increasingly competitive financial landscape, employee and customer experience are vital to every financial institution. Customers expect seamless communication and digital experiences that are secure and intuitive; employees appreciate work environments where their work contributes to its overall success. Using data to its fullest potential allows banks to make better strategic decisions, identify and act upon growth opportunities, and focus on their customers.
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