When Digital Isn’t Enough
Years ago, when I was the strategy and UX lead on a bank website redesign, I learned about customers who would use the bank website to look up interest rates and branch locations and would only transact business in person.
I learned this week that my dad is that kind of customer.
Going with him to a bank and an investment firm branch this week was like a mini field study.
My dad just turned 80. He's a healthcare provider, still practicing part time. He uses the technology he needs for work, but aside from that, he's largely an analog guy.
When it comes to banking and investment, he uses his phone to find the best interest rates for CDs (certificates of deposit), but he will not transact any business online. Checks are taken to the bank. Cash is withdrawn in person, at a teller window. CDs are purchased at a physical branch of the investment firm.
Walking into the bank with my dad felt like walking into Cheers with Norm. Everyone knew him, and he knew everyone.
How many times a month might one go to the bank if one didn't use an ATM card, didn't do online deposits or transfers, and didn't check account balances online? Apparently, a lot.
Sitting in the bank, filling out forms, my dad turned to me and said, "Jacqui, Deana [the banker] has food sensitivities, too. Deana, what was that bakery you recommended?"
When we went to the investment firm, of course my dad knew the customer rep by name. "Scott, what if I want to move the money out of an expiring CD and into a CD at another institution?
"You can do a transfer," Scott replied. But then he caught himself. He knew my dad was not going to do an online transfer.
So Scott talked him through a process that involved coming into the branch, requesting that they close the CD, and going into a little room in the branch to make a phone call to a bank and ask them to transfer the money into a CD at their institution.
Scott was terrific. He narrated each step of an analog process that is probably done online and self-serve 90% of the time. My dad was happy. He'll go back to the branch Monday to move his CDs around.
Why am I telling you this?
It's because my dad represents a segment of analog-oriented customers. They may not be everyone's customers, or a large segment (although for some businesses, they are), but they can be valuable and loyal. Plus, they might be anyone on any given day. How many times has a chatbot misunderstood your question, or an automated phone system failed you, and you just wanted to talk to a human?
Analog-oriented customers may not want your QR codes, electronic kiosks, or websites--at least not for everything. They can be a high-touch population, requiring personal interaction. And when they are online, they need clear, customer-focused information, instructions, and labels. They remind us that digital interfaces should be accessible and usable for everyone, and that automated customer service doesn't fully replace knowledgeable, compassionate humans.
Photo: The author’s father in front of the house he grew up in, in Brooklyn, New York
