CHICAGO — With banking innovation, solving the simple consumer headaches really matter. And often those, shall we say, less glamorous enhancements to solve everyday issues get lost to the glitzy mobile payments’ limelight. But the truth is innovation within banking doesn’t need to be hip per say. It can be practical, too.
That theme became very clear at this week’s Net.Finance conference. A number of speakers and attendees gave shout outs to more “everyday” innovations — like ATM updates — that are equally important to their customers’ banking experiences.
“We are here to help customers solve problems,” said Dominic Venturo, chief innovation officer for U.S. Bank Payment Services, during his keynote. That means identifying customer pain points, whatever they may be, and inventing a product to reduce the headache.
Still, the smaller adjustments must also show some innovation flair.
“We have to be able to work within the constraints of the industry and step outside of the box,” Michael Thomas, director of eMarketing for E*TRADE Financial, told attendees. “If you think the industry won’t change in 10 years, when’s the last time you walked into a Blockbuster?”