| New banking services are often considered gimmicks. But if customers respond to them, they are a success.
A local example is the carrier service offered by Westsound Bank. Deposits and other transactions are picked up by carriers.
“We take the banking to them,” said Westsound President and CEO Dave Johnson. “It saves perhaps six to 10 hours a month. What would you do with that time?”
Maybe spend more time researching what other banks offer. Customers are more mobile than in the recent past and have exciting new choices, such as the Internet.
Paying bills online is considered the “killer app” that will put online banking over the edge in popularity. Yet, it comes at an extra cost. Another bill, albeit a small one.
Columbia Bank sells its local presence in many ways. One includes being able to replace broken credit card swiping machines.
“We can have a new one there that day,” said Ruthmarie Ryan Sandoval, vice president of business development. “That’s important because every minute that machine isn’t working that’s money being lost.”
As technology opens more minds to new ideas, they come.
“A lot of what we offer now is down to technology,” said Jim Peoples at Key Bank. “Without the computer and the Internet, banking would essentially be the same as it has always been.”
An example is Key Bank’s fraud protection program for its larger business customers called Key Total Treasury. It tracks large quantities of checks and provides pictures of them online to double-check signatures and other details.
“It wouldn’t make sense for a small business,” Peoples said, “but for companies with a high volume of transactions it does.”
Being online also makes other aspects of banking easier. Bank Web sites offer free calculators for interest and yield figuring. Customers can track and buy investments and loans can be approved over the Internet.
A few banks are tied into accounting software so the information can be downloaded painlessly.
The bottom line is if someone is looking for a new bank, anything that’s different and also helpful is a draw, Sandoval said.
“We aren’t getting customers, usually, from the extras,” she said. “We have to do everything that’s expected first and do it well.”
(Editor’s Note: Temple A. Stark is a free-lance writer living in Port Orchard. Reach him at writer@harbornet.com.). | 
