7 Reasons Mobile Money From T-Mobile Should Worry Bankers

MOBILE STRATEGIES

The cellular company that promised to shake up the wireless industry, has now disrupted the banking industry by introducing a free way for customers (and non-customers) to keep money in a checking account, make direct and mobile deposits, pay bills and get fee-free ATM access to cash with a Visa debit card.

Not to be mistaken for the future Isis mobile wallet (backed by AT&T, Verizon and others), the T-Mobile Mobile Money solution is the latest in a wave of neobank competitors such as Simple, Moven, GoBank and Amex's Serve. The major difference is that this offering comes with a vast distribution network, an established customer base, significant marketing muscle and more.

When I heard about this newest banking solution, I immediately imagined the buzz in the halls of banks and credit unions across the country. Some financial executives would be acting like it is the end of the world as we knew it, while others would immediately fall into the trap of saying, "It's no big deal". The reality is probably somewhere in between. But there is cause for concern. 

While this is not the same as turning smartphones into mobile wallets, it is a solution offered by a wireless provider that has distinct advantages over traditional banks and credit unions. I would also caution those who see this as "just a solution for the 'underbanked' (definition still under discussion)". I think it could be much more. 

In fact, in some parts of the world, mobile phones have become the de facto way for people to handle day-to-day financial transactions (as opposed to banks). The best known example would probably be Kenya’s M-PESA which is currently used by 20 million people and includes loans and savings products.

So, why should Mobile Money from T-Mobile worry U.S. bankers (in no particular order) . . ?

1. T-Mobile Has an Established Customer Base

Unlike the majority of previous neobank entrants in the market, T-Mobile already has an established customer base to draw from. T-Mobile US provides services through its subsidiaries and operates its flagship brands, T-Mobile and MetroPCS, serving approximately 46.7 million wireless subscribers (Bank of America has 55 million customers).

T-Mobile also isn't new to the personal finance arena. By separating the costs of wireless services and devices, T-Mobile already provides customers the option of financing smartphone purchases. According to T-Mobile, they have facilitated billions of dollars in loans for customer phones (all without charging a penny in interest).

"One of the main reasons we're doing this is to deepen our relationship with our customers," said T-Mobile marketing executive Andrew Sherrard.

T-Mobile's cellular pricing strategy (cheap and with no contracts) should correlate well with the demographics they are initially trying to reach. While there are definitely mass affluent and affluent customers who use T-Mobile phones, an above average segment of their customer base probably includes customers without access to traditional financial services and who are looking for lower prices.

Notice in the website marketing, that the term 'prepaid debit card' is deemphasized in exchange for references to a checking account.

Source: T-Mobile Customer Mobile Money Web Page

Bank Innovation Through Collaboration

INNOVATION 

Established by two former bankers, the Bank Innovators Council was developed to help financial institutions that may lack internal resources come together to brainstorm and test new ideas that could eventually be shared. Partnerships with Finovate, NextBank, BankersHub and Innovation Agency will hopefully provide additional momentum. 

By JP Nicols^®, founder and CEO of the research and innovation firm Clientific, a partner at Bank Solutions Group and co-founder of the Bank Innovators Council.

Bankers and credit union executives have long sought a competitive advantage in a vast sea of largely undifferentiated competitors. For most players, and for most of the industry’s long history, the chief weapons in this war have been scale and localization. Either growing large enough to create economies of scale and/or scope, or trying to corner one or more local markets by being more, well, “local”. A few have even tried to accomplish both strategies simultaneously.


But how will those strategies play out in this new era of financial services? Regulators will not let the very biggest banks get a whole lot bigger any time soon. The top 100 banks in the U.S.— less than 1.5% of the 7,000 or so still around— already control 81% of the loans and 75% of the deposits. Well-capitalized and well-run small and midsize banks and credit unions will certainly swallow up weaker competitors as this quickening consolidation phase that we have all been predicting inevitably becomes a reality sooner or later. But will this truly create any new competitive advantages beyond survival of the (relatively) fittest?

How about the localization strategy of being 'the bank or credit union of '? Let’s set aside the fact that most organizations that proclaimed to be the bank of XYZ were probably not really the bank or credit union of anything outside of their own imagination. In this hyper-connected, hyper-globalized world, being merely local is meaningful to only a steadily dwindled segment of consumers. 

Sure, there are kernels of truth to each of these strategies. Having the scale to spread out increasing infrastructure costs is important, up to a point. And I chose the words 'merely local' for a reason. I think the real word the localists are looking for is 'relevant'. Being headquartered in my hometown is fine, I guess. More jobs for the local economy. But as a customer, what I really want is for you to be relevant to me — and many of the behaviors of the banking behemoths did little to make me feel that way.

Why It’s Different Now

Those basic strategies worked well enough for the last few hundred years, but until recently, the industry was basically undefeated because it won all of its games by default. Sure, we had large banks and small banks, and credit unions, and for a time, S&Ls and Savings Banks; but these were all just slightly different flavors of the same basic model.

Banking as a product and as a service had no real threat of substitution. But during just the last 5 to 10 years, the proliferation of smartphones, tablets, broadband connectivity and connected networks of all kinds have changed the nature of the game. Forever. Just as radio and movie theaters were disrupted by television, which was disrupted by videotapes, which were disrupted by DVDs, which were disrupted by streaming video, the disruption in banking has only just begun.


You can now live your entire financial life off the grid of traditional financial institutions — at least in your direct interactions. They still play a role behind the scenes, but the nameless, faceless utility that merely holds your insured deposits and ensures an efficient transfer of your funds from Point A to Point B is the very definition of a commodity trap.

Target Data Breach Can Be Opportunity for Banks

COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES

Banks and credit unions are taking differing approaches to dealing with the recent security breach involving credit cards and debit cards used at Target stores over the holidays. Some banks are identifying compromised debit or credit cards and issuing fresh cards immediately while other banks are taking a watch-and-wait stance, taking action on a case-by-case basis if fraud is detected.

Either way, many banks are using a proactive, multichannel approach for keeping customers informed which can build much sought after loyalty and trust.

In what may turn out to be the largest data breach of its kind, Target reported in December that hackers had stolen credit card and debit card information connected to as many as 40 million customers who shopped at Target stores between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15. Since then, Target has issued additional information that another 70 million customers may have had personal information compromised, including names, phone numbers and email addresses. 

Subsequently, Neiman Marcus revealed it too had been the victim of a security breach, and there are some reporting that the POS system hacking could extend to additional retailers.

The full magnitude of the damage will not likely be known until later in January, when customers receive and examine their monthly statements and call their banks, security experts have said. In past cases, it has taken 30 to 45 days for the vast majority of bad charges to surface. Unfortunately, in a scenario with so much publicity, the impact of the breach may be felt for months . . . or longer.

So, the question is - What is the best way to communicate around a data breach of this nature? In working with a leading communications tracking firm, Competiscan, I was able to see a variety of communication strategies involving multiple channels and a variety of resolutions to the Target data breach.

"In today's environment, it's not a matter of if a data breach will occur, but when it will occur, and how well you respond. Do everything you can to prevent data breaches, but also fully plan out how you will respond if a breach occurs. Today's media and consumer demands that two-pronged approach." - Brian Lapidus, COO, Kroll Fraud Solutions 

Target Communication

The one thing that should be part of any crisis plan is the reality that you might have to be in communication with hundreds of thousands of customers instantly. Unfortunately, while Target did 'go public' almost immediately after becoming aware of the situation, they were not prepared to handle the volume of calls or visits to their website/Facebook page that occurred. For instance, Target's initial notification post garnered over 3,500 comments and 1,600 shares in the first few days from customers concerned about their card security.

The same is true for the financial institutions that have been tracked. While some communicated with customer as early as December 20th (the day after the initial discovery), some organizations have not yet reached out to all customers to explain what has occurred, what precautions can be taken and how the bank is working on their behalf.

According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted from January 2 to January 10, 40 per cent of people who shopped at Target during the period of the data breach had not been notified about the incident. Thirty-one per cent said they had been notified by Target and 28 per cent said they had been notified by their bank or credit card company.

This is an opportunity lost at a time when trust between customers and their financial institution is still fragile from the past financial crisis.

"More than 55 percent of respondents said the notification about a data breach occurred more than one month after the incident, and more than 50 percent of respondents rated the timeliness, clarity and quality of the notification as either fair or poor." - The Consumer's Report on Data Breach Notification

The day after the initial reports surfaced, Target emailed millions of customers it thought were affected, and for whom it had email addresses. It has done the same for the additional customers it's now found to be involved. 

The company also created a dedicated page on its website for the data breach, including resources about identity theft and credit reports. Target has said that it plans to offer a year of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection to anyone who shopped in Target stores in the United States.  

Finally, Target also sent postal letters and posted a series of short YouTube videos to explain details around the security breach, what the company was doing about the situation, and a discount offer to customers. It also provided the first set of steps a customer could take to protect themselves and where they could go for additional information.

Target Letter to Customers

One of a series of YouTube videos from Target CEO to customers

It's Time For Personalization in Financial Services

In a post-crisis financial environment, customers are demanding solutions to satisfy their unique needs for money management. Additionally, they are showing preference for simpler products where benefits and risks are easy to understand and the feeling of control over the product increases their loyalty.

Therefore, banks and credit unions are facing a crossroads: acknowledge and embrace the demands of customers wanting more personalized and simplified services or try to push customers into a dated mass production model.

By Matthew Lifshotz, Director of Global Business Development for Choice Financial Solutions

From Cookie Cutter to Papering Over the Cracks 

Taking a look back in history, consumer products used to be built on a made-to-order basis, using expensive highly labor-intensive processes. To make things more affordable, companies began to adopt mass production technologies and techniques, creating a one-size-fits-all product line. 

When Henry Ford moved automobile production to the assembly-line model, revolutionizing manufacturing, he divided labor into standardized tasks that were put together on a moving line. The individual creation processes and unique personalization of previous years moved towards a repetitive blueprint that was now centered on the product, not the customer. The result of this innovative change was standardized production that had lower costs per vehicle for both the manufacturer and customer.

Ford realized, very quickly, that mass production allowed him to achieve economies of scale, a key to keeping prices low and gaining an edge on competition. As a result of this success, all types of companies (including financial services) have been utilizing this model of mass production: focused on building the most popular products at the most economical cost, assuming that customers will choose the options they are presented with.

However, over time, competition has become more intense and companies have started to offer a more diverse selection. As a result of this variety, customers realized that they could find solutions in the market closer to addressing their specific needs if they shopped around and paid less attention to traditional concepts such as brand loyalty.

As a consequence of this customer attitude and shift, companies are being forced to abandon the take-it-or-leave-it approach of mass production, focusing instead on a more robust product offering that would aid in their efforts to meet customer demands.

In today’s age, consumers are provided — some may say overwhelmed — by an ever-expanding variety of goods and services in many industries.  For example, since 1970:

• The number of new vehicle models has risen from 140 to 270.
• The number of TV channels has gone from 5 to over 200.
• The U.S. market makes available to consumers more than 145 over-the-counter pain relievers.
• There are more than 7,500 different prescription drugs.
• Consumers can find over 3,000 types of beers and 50 different brands of bottled water in the market place.
• There are more than 350 breakfast cereals. 

A lot has changed since Henry Ford and the assembly line production of the Model T and I am comfortable in saying that the mass-production model will no longer satisfy the overall customer demand. While customization is a recognized strategy in many business-to-business models, today’s retail consumer markets are also motivating companies to increasingly offer personalized solutions.

It’s important to note that personalization is not jargon for variety. Variety represents a producer’s best guess about what consumers will buy and offering quantity. Companies that personalize wait until they know precisely what the customer wants to create quality.

“Brand Keys, a research firm that studies customer loyalty, found that personalization is 30 percent of what draws a person to a brand today, as opposed to only six percent in 1997.”

A paradigm shift is taking place, from a product centric approach (off-the-rack) to a customer centric approach (made-to-order), where customer involvement shifts from just purchase to the development as well. It’s become more important than ever for companies, especially those in financial services, to be nimble and respond quickly to this market demand.

Customer Experience Innovation in Financial Services

INNOVATION

Expectations from today's consumer are outpacing the ability for banks and credit unions to keep up. The digital consumer is hyper-connected, highly informed and demands a highly personalized approach with regards to communication, product development and customer service.

On January 13, 2014, I was the featured guest for a global Twitter chat hosted by @IBMbigdata entitled, "Customer Experience Innovation in Banking". During the hour, there were 158 participants, 1,095 posts and over 6M impressions!

Below is a sampling of the interchange (including my responses)

More than half #bank customers’ interactions on avg took place through online or mobile channels ~ @BainAlerts so Q1 >> #CXO
— IBM big data (@IBMbigdata) January 13, 2014

Q1: How does today's customer behavior and expectations in a constantly changing technological world impact banks?

A1: Customer 3.0 banking expectations based on verticals like retail. Wants mobile money mgt. not just access to accounts. #CXO

— Jim Marous (@JimMarous) January 13, 2014

We’re in age where customers are armed w/ info & dictate service – 2 them service w/o instant = lacking A1 #cxo #banking

— Natasha Bishop (@Natasha_D_G) January 13, 2014

A1: Like Netflix and Amazon, bank consumers want their needs anticipated. #bigdata #banking #CXO

— Bob Palmer (@bigdatabusiness) January 13, 2014

A1: Biggest challenge for traditional banks is . . . tradition. Legacy systems, processes and mindsets #CXO
— Jim Marous (@JimMarous) January 13, 2014

A1: #CXO Customers expect online commerce--facilitated by e-banking--to become core of all transactions.
— jameskobielus (@jameskobielus) January 13, 2014

Not only seamless online transactions but also seamless online SECURITY. #cxo A1
— Lois Martin (@LoisMarketing) January 13, 2014