The Road to Strategic Planning Webinar: What you missed

Feeling a wave of FOMO (fear of missing out) if you missed our latest panel webinar, The Road to Strategic Planning? Don't worry we recapped everything so you can use it on your strategic planning ASAP. 

The Panelists: 

• Becky Reed, CEO of Lone Star Credit Union ($149.9MM)
• Lori Walker, CMO at Chambers Bank ($464MM)
• Time McLeod, CEO of Riverfront Federal Credit Union ($189MM)
• Bart Protzman, Director of Retail & Bank Operations at Core Bank (over $1 billion)

Want the full in-depth answers from our panel? Watch the webinar recording here: 

What do you think are the top trends to watch out for in 2022?  

• Technology - Mobile onboarding took a big upward swing in the past 18 months. In fact, 86.5% of Americans used a mobile device to check their bank balance in 2020. (DataProt) For new clients and clients still lagging behind in mobile adoption. 
• Core Connectivity - Data is your biggest asset (pun intended), especially for strategic planning. Understanding your current client base is key to delivering the best possible experience. 
• Flexibility for the HQ - After the pandemic, it became clear just hw important those contingency plans are within your strategic plan. Often, this means creating a space that is customized for the hyper-local market. 

What trends do you think will get left behind?

Telephone banking...well this one may have to stick around a bit longer for those clients who just love doing their banking this way. One person's inconvenience is another person's convenience. Silos in banking is one unintentional trend that needs to be left behind. Providing the best client experience will only be achieved when we realize that we need to work together to get it done right. 

How has COVID-19 changed your institutions direction? 

For most of our panelists, their plans weren't abandoned but they did need to shift. Some had already purchased brick & mortar spaces just as the pandemic was ramping up. While we are still feeling the effects of a pandemic we can reasonably assume things will eventually go back to normal. So what does that mean for your branches? A branch transformation or modernization is more important than ever to create the right experience for the new consumer. 

Company culture is a major aspect of banking that took a hit during the pandemic. Suddenly everyone that could work from home, was working from home. Developing and mandating culture in this new normal takes a lot more intentionality. Over communicatee when possible, create those water cooler moments instead of waiting for them to happen, and make face-to-face happen whenever possible — keep those web cams on! 

What data do you gather to start the Strategic Planning process? 

• Employee engagement (assigned to management and employees)
• Customer relationships and opportunities (assigned to management and employees)
• Sales and service (assigned to management and employees)
• Risk management (assigned to the board and management)
• Delivery channels and marketing (assigned to managem

ent and employees)
• Productivity and efficiency (assigned to management and employees)

How far out is your Strategic Plan? 1 yr, 5 yrs, etc ? 

• Lone Star CU | Currently doing 3 year rolling. 5 years is a bit too much but 1 year wasn't a long enough view for their plans. 
• Riverfront FCU | On a 3,2,1 initiative. 3 year plan that gets a full evaluation 2 times per every 1 year. 
• Chambers Bank | 1 year plan that is reviewed monthly. 
• Core Bank | The Financial Modeling is our 10-year plan. And then every year we create a strategic plan that aligns to that financial modeling. 

What’s the #1 priority for you in 2022?

Growth! Growth was the number one goal across the board. There are dozens of priorities throughout the year and even more ways to achieve this sole focus. But it is clear, growth is on the top of everyone's list for 2022. 

Watch the full webinar here: