Customer-obsessed, Intelligence-first Banking
Brandon Gerena
Customer Experience, Growth Marketing, Business Transformation, and Design at LTIMindtree
In my last article, Why 90% of Bank CX Strategies Fail (and How to Fix It), I broke down the key reasons why most banks miss the mark on customer experience—data silos, outdated product-centric thinking, AI used for cost-cutting instead of growth, and fragmented tech stacks. The positive response to that piece was overwhelming, with many leaders agreeing that while banks have the right intentions, execution often falls short.
One theme stood out: AI is not the key to fixing every issue. It is true that today, we have plenty of case studies showing how AI can transform customer experience, drive growth, and build customer loyalty. But for that to happen, banks need to move beyond AI as a tactical tool and focus on the new fundamentals of Customer Experience (CX) as part of a deep culture of insights-to-action.
This article builds on that conversation, focusing on how banks can prioritize customer needs. I look at a single use case to explore ways banks can scale CX across digital and physical realms. First, let's get to know Sarah and her personal finance journey.
Meet Sarah
Sarah is a married 38-year-old management consultant who takes pride in balancing her career, family, and finances well. She's financially savvy with an online brokerage account and company stock but feels her bank doesn't know her well. The following scenario is Sarah's day-in-the-life interactions with an innovative bank I dreamed up, one that is obsessed with CX and that anticipates her needs, understands her goals, and earns her trust at every step.
7:40 AM – Sarah opens an email from her bank, which appears to be written just for her
Sarah received an early morning email from her bank with surprisingly relevant financial insights. The bank analyzed her savings, spending habits, and recent life changes (a home purchase last year and a baby on the way) and presented a customized wealth-building strategy. Here's how that email looked:
Email Subject: "Sarah, here are smarter ways to grow your investments in 2025."
Email Body:
A brief, tailored investment option based on her needs right now
A short video explains how this strategy fits her financial goals and stage in life
A "See My Plan" button takes her on a personalized investment journey in her bank app
Sarah feels seen. She's not just a customer—she has human needs and a financial future that her bank is proactively helping her shape. Behind the scenes, her bank conducted hundreds of A/B tests, customer surveys, behavioral data analyses, and user interviews, which informed this first touch.
12:25 PM – Sarah visits a branch, where the Banker picks up where Digital left off
Sarah had some questions, so she stopped by her local branch during her lunch break. It's a pleasant surprise that she doesn't have to start from scratch. That's because the Banker greets her, already knowing:
She opened an email about investing that morning
She's been exploring investment options in the app
She has a growing family and new financial priorities
Instead of asking, "How can I help you today?" (which usually is a nice way of saying, "Tell me everything from the beginning"), the Banker continues the conversation: "Sarah, I saw you were looking at long-term investment strategies this morning. I've got an option that might fit your needs even better. Let's walk through it together."
As a result, Sarah's impression of her branch visit is positive. Her engagement with the Banker feels effortless and conversational. No friction. No repeating herself. Behind the scenes, the bank sends real-time signals (geo, behavioral) to the Banker, and the Banker's digital tools help guide their dialogue.
6:15 PM – Sarah completes her investment account in just a few clicks
On her train ride home, Sarah logs into her banking app and sees a dynamic dashboard summarizing everything from her branch visit.
She sees a pre-filled investment application with her details
A digital assistant offers a short, personalized explainer video reminding Sarah why this investment is a smart fit for her life stage.
Sarah completes everything in just a few clicks—no long forms or documents to retrieve
Sarah's bank did the hard work for her, making her financial decisions easy. Instead of her account opening process feeling like a chore, Sarah's investment journey was well-guided, timely, intuitive, and tailored to her needs. Behind the scenes, the bank produces dynamic, personalized videos in minutes and provides real-time human-assisted AI chat support.
Over the next 30 Days – Sarah's bank delivers personalized follow-ups that make her an advocate
Research shows that the first 30 days of a new banking relationship determine customer long-term loyalty. In this CX-obsessed bank, Sarah doesn't just open an account and disappear—she continues to engage with her bank because she feels nurtured and supported. Here's how that 30-day journey might look:
Day 1: Sarah receives a welcome SMS: "Sarah, congrats on your new investment! Here's a 2-minute video with tips on maximizing your returns. Let us know if you have any questions—we're here for you."
Day 7: The bank notices Sarah hasn't logged into her new investment dashboard yet. She receives an email nudge with a "Get Started" video guide.
Day 15: Instead of a generic call from customer service, Sarah gets a proactive check-in from a banker: "Hi Sarah, just checking in—how's everything going with your new investment account? We can jump on a Zoom call this week and review your account summary together."
Day 17: Sarah arranges a virtual meeting with her Banker, logs into her account, and customizes her dashboard and notifications.
Day 20: Sarah receives calendar invites from her Banker to attend investment seminars for expecting parents and new homeowners.
Day 30: Sarah gets a personalized mobile app notification: "Sarah, your investment has grown 2.1% this month. Curious about diversifying? Here's a strategy built just for you [play video]."
Now, Sarah feels like she has a real financial partner by her side. The bank isn't just selling her products but guiding, engaging, and adding measurable value.
What did we learn from Sarah?
Customer obsession isn't a company project or superfluous branding exercise. It's both a survival and growth strategy. That's why banks like PNC hire associates from the hospitality industry who are pre-wired to humanize banking. Ally Financial uses AI-driven personalization in loan approvals and savings nudges to drive financial wellness, guiding customers toward better decisions rather than just selling products. Fifth Third Bank used behavioral data and AI-driven heat maps to open 200 new branches in high-traffic areas.
Banks can no longer hide behind excuses for data not traveling between customer channels or that AI provides limited customer-facing use cases. The lines between digital and physical are blurred, so we have moved beyond digital banking and towards customer-obsessed, intelligence-first banking.