Pre Engineered Building Manufacturers Hyderabad.pptx
OSCM_Harvard Business Case_Commerce Bank
1. 7/30/2014
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank
1
Case Study Analysis
Commerce Bank
Binus Business School,
MM Executive Batch 20
Presented by Group I
Alexander Christian
Dina Sandri Fani
Jenna Widyawati
Ridwan Martawidjaja
2. Table of Contents
7/30/2014
2
The Story of Commerce Bank
Insights from the U.S. Banking Industry
Deep Dive Analysis of Commerce Bank
Conclusion & Recommendation
1
2
3
4
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank
3. Table of Contents
7/30/2014
3
The Story of Commerce Bank
Insights from the U.S. Banking Industry
Deep Dive Analysis of Commerce Bank
Conclusion & Recommendation
1
2
3
4
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank
4. Commerce’s Flashback in Years
7/30/2014
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank
4
• 1973 Founded by Vernon Hill. Set up to “be
different” as the world did not need
another “me-too” bank
• Early 1990s 4 branch offices were purchased from
Long Island-based Anchor Savings Bank
• 21 Jan 1997 Independence Bancorp, Inc. became
Commerce Bank/North
• 13 Aug 1998 Community First Banking Company & its
subsidiary Tinton Falls State Bank
became Commerce Bank/Shore
• 17 Sep 1998 Prestige Financial Corp & its subsidiary
Prestige State Bank became Commerce
Bank/Central
• 25 Jul 2005 Palm Beach County Bank established
Commerce Bank in Southeast Florida
• 2006 Purchased eMoney Advisor
• 2007 Acquired by TD Bank Financial Group
5. Dare to be different since beginning
Acted and thought as a retailer, not as a banker!
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
5
Brought retail
experience to
banking
Competed on service
rather than rate
Deposit rather than
loan as a core
product
Lollipops and dog
biscuits in the lobby
and drive-thru
Playful events, e.g.
Red Fridays
Longer operating
hours
Hassel free
products, e.g. no
transaction fee, no
fee to the ATM
Deposit as a core
product
No deposit, no loan!
Grew much higher
than industry
Defying conventional wisdom helped Commerce Bank to grow as one of the
fastest growing banks in the US!!!
6. Table of Contents
7/30/2014
6
The Story of Commerce Bank
Insights from the U.S. Banking Industry
Deep Dive Analysis of Commerce Bank
Conclusion & Recommendation
1
2
3
4
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank
7. Customers typology in the U.S. banking industry
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
7
• Service Excellent
• Fast and easy experience
• Call center 24 hours
Wants
• Better rates
• Safety on their accounts
• Nothing will be your problem, we
take care
Needs
• Fully trained cast member
• Friendly persons: give the
customers confidence and
excellent advisement
Searches
• From traditional, full-service
transaction to electronic, self-service
transaction
Evolves
8. Loans as a core products compared to deposits
Growth was about 20% over the period of 1998 to 2001
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
8
Loans
Deposits
Commercial Banking Industry Figures
Loans vs. Deposits (in tn USD)
3.68 3.83
4.18 4.39
3.18 3.43 3.76 3.82
1998 1999 2000 2001
Loans Deposits
2 main products:
Commercial Banking Industry Figures
86.41%
Loan-to-Deposit Ratio
89.61% 89.85%
87.06%
1998 1999 2000 2001
Major trends in industry:
Cross-sell
• A push to increase the
“cross-sell” of products.
Customer has 1.5 to 2.5
products with the banks
Fee revenue
• Growing revenues from
non-interest income
9. Low service quality resulted to low satisfaction and high customer
attrition rate
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
9
Customer satisfaction
historically been quite
low
Only 53% of retail bank
customers satisfied with
the provided services
Demographics-based
segmentation
Customer lifetime
value/customer
profitability as a
segmentation variable
Help the banks to
differentiate the service
amongst customers
High attrition rate
One-third of customer
base each year to
attrition
Mostly occurred in the 1st
year of a banking
relationship
34% dissatisfied with the
service provision; 34%
due to geographic move
Customer Attrition
10. Decision to choose a bank mostly influenced by proximity of a
local bank
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
10
Forcing banks to deploy the following channels:
A. Traditional channel B. Modern channel
Branches • Enormous branch networks to getting
closer with the targeted segment
ATM
networks
• Large ATM networks to ease
customer doing a transaction
• Free base vs. fee base
• ATM transformation: from cost center
to profit center
24/7 call
centers
• Including Voice Response Unit (VRU)
• Allowing customer execute an
increasing no, of transaction via
telephone
Internet Banking era
Banks to have a lower
marginal cost
Full-service channels to
self-service channels
Monetary incentives
for using electronic
channels
On the other hand,
impose monetary
penalties for using
traditional channels
11. Front-line employees are vital for retail banks
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
11
Selection criteria were as
follows:
Be able to perform
repeated tasks, interact
with customers
Willingness to accept
relatively low wages
Undergo series of training
to ensure compliance with
processes & product
attributes
Learning about bank-specific
policies &
procedures
Product knowledge
training
Main KPIs:
Volume of calls
handled
No. of transactions
processed
12. Table of Contents
7/30/2014
12
The Story of Commerce Bank
Insights from the U.S. Banking Industry
Deep Dive Analysis of Commerce Bank
Conclusion & Recommendation
1
2
3
4
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank
13. Commerce Bank in Numbers
Grew faster than the U.S. banking industry due to the implementation of revolutionary
business model
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
13
Commerce Bank Financial Figures
4.98
Total assets (in bn USD)
6.73
8.86
12.27
1998 1999 2000 2001
Commerce Bank Financial Figures
Interest Income vs. Non-Interest
Income
74 625
297
393
523
97
156
198
1998 1999 2000 2001
35% of CAGR from 1998 to 2001
Mostly came from securities and net
loans & leases
Income mostly came from interest
compared to non-interest
Non-interest income recorded higher
CAGR compared to interest income
(39% vs. 28%) following industry’s trend
14. Commerce Bank in Numbers
Commerce went to a different direction as compared to industry, resulted to a lower loan-to-deposit
ratio and higher expense ratio
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
14
Loan-to-Deposit Ratio
Commerce Bank vs. Industry
86.41% 89.61% 89.85% 87.06%
43.16%
52.48% 49.91%
45.48%
1998 1999 2000 2001
Commerce Industry
Lower loan-to-deposit ratio as
compared to industry
Deposits as a core products: no loan if
no deposit
Total Expense Ratio
Commerce Bank vs. Industry
77.7% 77.4%
80.2%
78.2%
76.9%
74.1%
75.7%
73.2%
1998 1999 2000 2001
Commerce Industry
Commerce sacrificed its expense ratio
in order to create a superior customer
experience
Total expense ratio is higher as
compared to industry
15. Commerce Bank in Numbers
Deposits grew way above the industry due to its unique proposition; while on the other
hand, loans & leases still grew nicely
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
15
Commerce Bank Financial Figures
Total Deposits Growth (in bn USD)
31%
4.50
5.67
7.44
10.23
1998 1999 2000 2001
Provided convenient service instead of
high deposit rate
Core product for Commerce: growth had
averaged over 30% since 1996
1998-2001 CAGR was 31% much ahead
industry of 6%
More than half of it were consumer
business
Commerce Bank Financial Figures
Net Loans & Leases Growth (in bn
1.94
2.98
3.71
4.65
USD)
1998 1999 2000 2001
Implemented “No deposit, no loan”
policy
Loan-to-deposit ratio was significantly
below the industry average due to tight
credit acceptance policy
Net loans & leases CAGR was 34%
16. Commerce’s SWOT Analysis
Commerce had a strong positioning in service area; however, competitors were beginning
to adopt some of its basic offerings
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
16
S W
T
Strengths
• Retailer mindset
• Customer-centric program
• Consistent service delivery
• Excellent service innovation
• Walk the talk attitude
• Passionate employees
• Financial growth
Opportunities
• Enormous market
opportunities
• Expanding the business to
related financial sector such
as insurance
• Expanding overseas
Threats
• Fierce competition:
competitors were beginning
to adopt some of its basic
service offerings
• Lack of creativity and
innovation to keep ahead of
the competition
O
Weaknesses
• Provided the lowest deposit
rate
• Higher operating cost as
compared to competitions
• Less focused on
responsiveness, reliability,
and assurance
17. Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
17
Commerce Bank’s Business Model
Customer
Segments
Mass Market:
covering business
and individual
customer from young
age to senior citizen
Customer
Relationships
Full Service
Personal assistance
at branches and call
center
Automated services
through online
banking
Value Proposition
Excellent service with
personal touch &
attitude
Different experience
through retailtainment
Convenient operating
hours
Inviting and comfy
branches
18. Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
18
Commerce Bank’s Business Model
Key Resources
Enthusiastic
employees
Inviting branch at the
right location & other
physical facilities
Commerce culture to
innovate, continuous
improvement and
customer service
Key Activities
Provide loan
Collect core deposit
Call center
Online banking
services
ATM provider
Marketing
Key Partners
ATM providers
Street vendor and
performers to assist
marketing campaign
19. Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
19
Commerce Bank’s Business Model
Channels
Marketing through:
Street vendors, direct
mailing, ads on public
places, ads on
company’s van.
Banking services
provided through:
branches, ATMs, call
center, online banking
Cost structure
Labor cost
Marketing &
advertising cost
Design, construction
and maintenance of
branches
Employee training
and development
program
Revenue Streams
Fee on banking
services
Interest from loan
20. Commerce’s Core Service Business Model
They were here to blow customers away through creating a strong service business
management model
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
20
Service
Offering
Core
service
Model
Funding
Mechanism
Customer
Management
More impact for service
Well-integrated employee
management system must
be reflected on recruitment
process, training, job
design, and performance
management
Employee
Management
1
2
3
4
Focus on the experiences
customers want to have
Agreed on which attributes of
service the business will
compete on
At the same time, define what a
business chooses not to do well
Develop a way to
fund excellence
4 basic forms: 2
are ways of having
the customer pay,
and 2 cover the
cost of excellence
with operational
savings
businesses
Involving customer on
value-creation process
Clear on 3 keys areas, i.e.
which customers group,
which customer behavior,
which effective techniques
to influence behavior
21. Commerce’s Service Offering
Despite following the industry’s trend by providing customer good rate, Commerce decided
to compensate its low rate through excellent service offering
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
21
1
Core offerings:
1.Checking account
• Standard checking
• Internet checking
• 50 Plus club
• Consumer
checking
2.Loans
3.ATM
4.Cash reserve line
(overdraft protection)
Facilitators
Information
• Live agents instead of Voice
Response Unit (VRU)
Order taking
• Loans assigned to service
branch instead of Head
Office
• Weekend banking
• Longer operating hours
Billing
• Personal sign-off by
customer on loan papers at
service branch
• Online monthly statements
Payment
• Easier, since loan customer
also has a deposit at service
branch
Differentiators
Consultation
• Branch Manager / Loan
officer helps to manage
loans & deposits
Hospitality
• Phones at ATMs
• Employee escorts with
umbrellas during rains
Safe-keeping
• Check View Feature
Exception Handling
• Penny arcades to handle
coins
• Midnight timing at busy
locations
• 10 minute rule
22. Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
22
Commerce’s Service Offering
Detail explanation: Commerce’s service offering basically divided into two categories, i.e.
core service offerings and supplementary service offerings
1
Core service offerings
Deposits Offering Details
Not very different from what
other banks in the industry
offer
However, had a different
focus from execution stand
point
Deposits base instead of
loans base as a driver of
operations and growth
No. Type
Minimum
Balance
Details
1 Standard
Checking
$100 No monthly service fees
2 Interest
Checking
$1000 No monthly service fees,
Unlimited check writing,
Interest
3 50 Plus
Club
$100 No account maintenance
charge for checking
account with interest, free
checks, money orders,
notary service and
travelers’ checks
4 Consumer
Checking
None No per check charge for
first 8 checks/month for $3
monthly fee
No monthly service fees for
the 1st 3 years and free 1st
order of checks
23. Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
23
Commerce’s Service Offering
Detail explanation: Commerce’s service offering basically divided into two categories, i.e.
core service offerings and supplementary service offerings
1
Core service offerings
Loans
ATMs
Cash reserve line
• Commerce’s value is not in its loan base but in its
deposit base
• Loans are not given out as easily as other banks in
the industry
• Credit quality checks for loan approval is very
stringent
• “No deposit no loan” policy
• Withdrawals were available at any ATM and
purchases anywhere Visa was accepted
• Transactions were immediately reflected in accounts
and statements
• All accounts could be combines with a Cash Reserve
Line to ensure protection from overdrafts
24. Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
24
Commerce’s Service Offering
Supplementary service offerings were designed to WOW customers. Consisted of
facilitator offerings and differentiator offerings
1
Facilitators
Information
• Live agents instead of Voice Response Unit (VRU)
Order taking (banking context: cash withdrawal & loan
application process)
• Loans were assigned to service branch instead of Head
office for easy access for customer
• Weekend banking facilities were provided to allow
customers to bank on Saturdays & Sundays
Billing
(Banking context: loan approval and monthly
statement generation process)
• Personal sign-off by customer on loan papers at service
branch
• Online monthly statements
Payment (loan repayment process)
• Payment is easier for customer and assured for
bank, since loan customer also has a deposit at
service branch
Differentiators
Consultation
• Branch Manager/loan officer helps to manage loans &
deposits
Hospitality
• Helpline phones at ATMs
• Employee escorts with umbrellas during rains
• Lollipops and dog biscuits at drive through banking
windows
• Coffee and newspapers in waiting lobbies
Safe Keeping
(Banking context: peace of mind about account balances
and check deposits)
• Immediate updating of ATM withdrawals in online
statements
• A ‘Check View’ feature on Commerce’s website
Exception handling
(Banking context: Coin currency & Irregular hours )
• ‘Penny arcades’ to handle coins
• Midnight timing at busy locations
• 10 minute rule to increase banking hours by 20 minutes
in a day’ operation
25. Commerce’s Funding Mechanism
Basic theory to analyze Commerce’s funding mechanism
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
25
2
Frei, HBR: 4 basic forms of funding mechanism
Funding Mechanism
Let the customer pay
Charge the customer in a
palatable way
Giving a half percentage
point less in interest on
deposits for open late and
on weekends operations
Create a win-win between
operational savings &
value-added services
Enhance the customer
experience while spending
lunch
Operational savings
Spend now to save later
Make operational
investments that will pay off
eventually by reducing
customers’ needs for
auxiliary service in the
future
Have the customers do
the work
Put the cost back in the
customer’s court, but in the
form of labor, e.g. through
offering self-service
26. Commerce’s Funding Mechanism
Commerce mixed 4 basic forms for its funding mechanism implementations
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
26
2
Frei, HBR: 4 basic forms of funding mechanism
Funding Mechanism
Let the customer pay
Charge the customer in a
palatable way
Simply to have the
customer pay for it, but
possible to make the form
that payment takes less
objectionable to customers
Operational savings
Spend now to save later
Heavily invested on
branches: branches were
built to be inviting
Broke even within a year to
18 months compared to
three years of the average
bank
Have the customers do
the work
Provided “check view”
feature on the bank’s web
site that allows customers to
see an image of the front
and back of a check
27. Commerce’s Funding Mechanism
Detail Analysis: How Commerce funded its excellence
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
27
2
Commerce’s
start-up and
growth
strategy
Commerce’s
banking &
lending
operations
Funding
Mechanism
How Commerce
funded its own
growth
How Commerce
functioned as a
bank?
28. Commerce’s Funding Mechanism
Start-up and growth strategy: focusing on organic growth and bring the retail franchise
expansion model into its banking operational
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
28
2
Commerce’s
start-up and
growth
strategy
Founded in 1973 with $ 1.5 million as startup capital (assumed to
be seed capital not VC funding)
Chairman & CEO, Vernon Hill did not believe in M&As as a growth
strategy but as a cost-cutting measure
Started operations as a community bank in southern New Jersey
Used the retail franchise expansion model (without acquisitions)
to grow
Expanded into branches in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New York
Concentrated on seeing customer as a revenue-generator (not
cost center). However, cross-selling was not encouraged since
main revenue stream was considered as deposits
Expansion into New York was done organically (Branches were
wholly owned and run by Commerce and promoted heavily
(Spends - $500,000 per branch)
By 2001, Commerce had $ 1 billion in core deposits
29. Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
29
Commerce’s Funding Mechanism
Commerce’s banking & lending operations focused on its 2 products, i.e. deposits &
loans. It had a different approach in running its operations as compared to industry
2
Commerce’s
banking &
lending
operations
Business philosophy
Operations in
deposits
Commerce Industry
Compete on service not on rate
Focus is customer experience
Operations is designed to WOW
customers
Low-expense ratios are bad
Outgoing friendly service
Rates need not be the highest in
the industry (only 3% want this)
Longer operating hours allow for
more time for customer service
(62% want this)
Non-interest income revenue (i.e.
ATM charges) must be used as
competitive advantage to grow
and not simply be an addition to
the bottom line
Cross-Selling products
Preference to electronic channels
Non-interest income revenue
Pushing customers out of
store(bank)
They are transaction-oriented and
low growth
Dozen or more types of checking
accounts
$5 monthly fee for Internet
Banking facilities
30. Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
30
Commerce’s Funding Mechanism
Commerce’s banking & lending operations focused on its 2 products, i.e. deposits &
loans. It had a different approach in running its operations as compared to industry
2
Commerce’s
banking &
lending
operations
Operations in loans
Results
Commerce Industry
Assigned to customer service
branches that received credit for
deposits
Low loan-deposit ratio
Stringent credit quality checks
Customers mostly commercial
real estate projects, mortgages
and consumer loans
Loan officer is also branch
manager
• Deposit Growth (2001) - 40%
• Online Usage - 34%
• Net Income growth (1998-2001) -
200%
Loan delivery is centralized
leading to customer and loan
officer disconnect
Loans are 90% of deposit base
(2001)
Lower credit quality loans (i.e.
sub-prime mortgages) get
approved
Loans not linked to deposits
• Deposit Growth (2001) - 5%
• Non-interest income growth –
27%
• Interest Income growth – 11%
• Customer attrition – 1/3rd of
customer base
31. Commerce’s Employee Management System
Analyze how Commerce instilled WOW service business model into its employee
management system
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
31
3
Hiring
Employee
Management
System
Training
Work
Autonomy
Workplace
involvement
Rewards
Appraisal or
Performance
Measurement
Major challenge is
how to create a
customer-centric
organization that is
reflected through
Commerce’s
employee
management system
32. Commerce’s Employee Management System
Analyze how Commerce instilled WOW service business model into its employee
management system
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
32
3
Hiring
Employee
Management
System
Training
Work
Autonomy
Workplace
involvement
Rewards
Appraisal and
Performance
Measurement
Objective
Getting the right people and
integrate them with the entire
Commerce’s culture
High level strategy
Does not always recruit the
best talent
Prioritize to hire average
people with service attitude
Tough hiring process reflected
by extensive number of
interviews
Consider experienced people
for part time job
Utilize interview processes to
learn about competitors
33. Commerce’s Employee Management System
Analyze how Commerce instilled WOW service business model into its employee
management system
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
33
3
Hiring
Employee
Management
System
Training
Work
Autonomy
Workplace
involvement
Rewards
Appraisal and
Performance
measurement
Objective
Use WOW program in designing
service curriculum applied for entire
Commerce organization
High level strategy
Formed full time education and
training facility named Commerce
University
Easy to remember framework for
learning Commerce service
deliver model: SMART Principle
(Say YES to customers, Make
each customer feel
special, Always keep customer
promises, Recover, Think like a
customer)
Service-oriented courses
selection for new employees
(“Traditions”) and senior
executives
34. Commerce’s Employee Management System
Analyze how Commerce instilled WOW service business model into its employee
management system
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
34
3
Hiring
Employee
Management
System
Training
Work
Autonomy
Workplace
involvement
Rewards
Appraisal &
Performance
measurement
Work autonomy
Encourage and empower
employees to participate on “Kill
the stupid rule” program
Workplace involvement
All employees encouraged to
hand out their visiting cards to
recruit potential employees
Redeemable WOW! Stickers
WOW! Awards and Musical
performances
Playful events like Red Fridays
35. Commerce’s Employee Management System
Analyze how Commerce instilled WOW service business model into its employee
management system
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
35
3
Hiring
Employee
Management
System
Training
Work
Autonomy
Workplace
involvement
Rewards
Appraisal and
Performance
Measurement
Appraisal & Performance
Service performance as one of the
KPIs. Measured thru mystery shopping
Competition between branches in
different regions in the form of Leagues
(assuming this is like football or
baseball leagues) to get the best
service report
Rewards
Monetizing mystery shopping result:
salary increased based on the result
Glamorous prizes for top performers
(like a leased Porsche Boxster for 1
year)
$5000 reward for the staff of nearest
Commerce branch where a competitor
closed down
$50 reward for suggesting improvement
in the ‘Kill the rule’ program
36. Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
36
4
Commerce’s Customer Management System
Analyze how Commerce developed its customer management system in accordance with
its service business model
Customer
Management
system
Customer
acquisition
Customer
retention
programs
Industry Norm
Push more product through cross-selling
Transactions-based KPIs rather than customer
satisfaction or repeat customers
Customers were seen as cost centers and in
order to keep a low-expense ratio were pushed
to use the electronic channels (full-service to
self-service)
Also, customers using the conventional personal
(teller) banking channel were penalized
through extra fees
This savings in the marginal cost was then used
to give a higher interest rate which banks felt
was the only way to attract new customers.
Commerce chose the opposite strategy and to
compete on service aspects by focusing on superior
customer excellence delivery
37. Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
37
4
Commerce’s Customer Management System
Analyze how Commerce developed its customer management system in accordance with
its service business model
Customer
Management
system
Customer
acquisition
Customer
retention
programs
Commerce’s acquisition strategy
Branches located close to competitors branches
and designed to be inviting, open windows
Red & blue painted commerce vans helped
create free advertising opportunities
Building designs across all branches were
consistent (Note: consistent message to the
customer – Integrated marketing
communication)
Very high promotional spends for every new
branch in the form of direct mailings, subway
ads, phone kiosks and free food (like 10,000 hot
dogs in Commerce napkins)
Free gift for the first time customers
Employees treat customers with outgoing
friendly service and do not try to cross-sell
products or push customers out of the store after
they finish their transactions
Loan applicants were encouraged to open
deposit accounts first
38. Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
38
4
Commerce’s Customer Management System
Analyze how Commerce developed its customer management system in accordance with
its service business model
Customer
Management
system
Customer
acquisition
Customer
retention
programs
Industry Norm
All banks provided the same ease-of-use
electronic banking features along with their
extensive branch networks
Having an issue on retention: high attrition rate
Main triggers of high attrition rate:
• dissatisfaction with steep fees and fee
surprises, poor service and errors (34%)
• outside of reach of current branch location
(34%)
• availability of more convenience such as
longer hours in other banks (15%)
Commerce’s retention program were designed to
target the above-mentioned customer pain
points which caused customers to switch banks.
Delivering superior customer experience, once
again, became a choice of Commerce for its
retention program
39. Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
39
4
Commerce’s Customer Management System
Analyze how Commerce developed its customer management system in accordance with
its service business model
Customer
Management
system
Customer
acquisition
Customer
retention
programs
Commerce’s retention strategy
1. Create convenience at customer sides
• Extended banking hours (10 minute rule
allowed for 20 minutes of extra banking
everyday)
• Busy locations were open till midnight
(12:10 am)
• Weekend banking (Saturdays &
Sundays)
• Same branch look and feel
• Phones in ATMs reach helplines
• Live agents instead of VRUs
2. Boundary-spanning roles and interface
• Employee conduct monitored by
mystery shoppers for friendliness
(handshakes), consistency in greeting
and other procedural details when
dealing with customers
• Service-oriented KPIs to measure
employee’s performance
40. Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
40
4
Commerce’s Customer Management System
Analyze how Commerce developed its customer management system in accordance with
its service business model
Customer
Management
system
Customer
acquisition
Customer
retention
programs
Commerce’s retention strategy
3. Up-close and personal service
• Guidance to manage deposit accounts
by branch managers
• Loan accounts handled by local
customer service branches and not by
central headquarters
• Guidance to manage loan accounts by
loan officers (who also happened to be
branch managers)
4. Customer delight features
• No fees for ATM and check cards
• Non-interest income (ATM charges/fees
for using other bank’s ATMs) returned to
customers
• Employee escorts with umbrellas to cars
during rains
• ‘Penny Arcade’ program to handle coins
with no charge either customers or non-customers
• Gifts (pens and lollipops) at drive-through
banking windows
41. Table of Contents
7/30/2014
41
The Story of Commerce Bank
Insights from the U.S. Banking Industry
Deep Dive Analysis of Commerce Bank
Conclusion & Recommendation
1
2
3
4
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank
42. Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
42
Conclusions
Implementation of service-business model brought a big success for Commerce
Success Parameter
Deposit growth
(1996-2001)
Deposit growth
(2001 only)
Commerce Bank Industry or Competitors
Online usage Grew about 34% Wells Fargo: much lower
Net Income growth
(1998-2001)
30% growth in average
Grew about 40%
200% growth (double the
net income)
U.S. banking industry grew
±20% from 1998-2001
U.S. banking industry grew
only 5%
U.S. banking industry grew
about 20%
43. Retailtainment gave a set back for Commerce
Failed to improve overall customer experience as it increased no. of customer complaints
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
43
Original Plan
Improve the service
experience for customer
waiting in branches
Triggered by the following:
competitors beginning to adopt
some of basic service offerings
Allowing Branch Managers to
suggest ideas (event wacky ones)
for entertaining branch customers
on Friday afternoons
Actual result
No. of customer complaints
were going up
It made the employees put more
focus on the entertainment
aspect rather than service aspects
Customer did not expect to be
entertained while waiting at branch.
What they actually need is a
solution over their problem
Concerned arose on branding
implications
Decentralized roll-out
44. Recommendations & Action Plans for Commerce
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
44
Recommendations:
Discontinue Retailtainment program as it does not fit
with Commerce’s value
Back to previous service business model, i.e.
focusing on superior customer experience delivery
rather than providing entertainment to customers
Focus should be given to the effort of improving
quality of service. 3 main areas to be improved are
responsiveness, reliability and assurance
Improving brand positioning through consistent
service delivery
Maintaining and improving financial conditions
(deposits growth, net income)
45. Recommendations & Action Plans for Commerce
Case Analysis – Commerce Bank 7/30/2014
45
Action Plans:
1. Create more effective and efficient
process
• Provide several service zones, i.e.
basic service area, quick service
zone, and complaint zone
• 3 types of front-liners, i.e. product
consultant, service consultant and
2. Launch service guarantee program
rather than continuing Retailtainment
program