What’s Your Plan to Grow Mobile Check Deposits?
Meet consumer expectations by implementing best practices for mobile deposit
With consumers’ unprecedented shift to digital transactions, more of your accountholders are reaching for their mobile phones to do their banking. Recent Expectations & Experiences research from Fiserv found that for the first time, mobile has overtaken branches as consumers’ preferred method of interacting with their primary financial organization.
One of the ways to sustain this mobile momentum is for financial institutions to provide accountholders with options in the digital channel, such as mobile deposits, which offer quick, convenient and easy transactions.
A 2021 Mobile Deposit Benchmark Report from Mitek found that 85% of consumers using mobile deposit plan on continuing. Financial institutions can capitalize on the surge in mobile activity by driving adoption of their mobile deposit channel.
The Benefits for Your Institution
Although check volumes are declining, there are still billions of checks written each year. By driving more check deposits to your mobile channel, you can gain efficiencies and reduce the burden on branch staff, especially when attracting and retaining talent can prove difficult.
In addition, you can help achieve your organization’s digital transaction goals by driving more of your accountholders to mobile deposits.
What’s in It for Your Accountholders
The benefit for accountholders is pretty simple: satisfaction. Accountholders can make their check deposits at their convenience, instantly, with no drive time required. They can deposit a check with confidence and ease.
Financial institutions can capitalize on the surge in mobile activity by driving adoption of their mobile deposit channel.
How to Grow Mobile Deposits
Every institution sets its own policies for check deposit limits and funds availability, often based upon the deposit channel. But it may be time for your institution to review its approach on mobile deposits to improve the deposit experience and grow accountholder adoption.
Here are a few best practices to consider:
Raise the deposit limit. A higher dollar limit increases the chances that accountholders will use mobile deposit more often. The main reason accountholders don’t use mobile deposits is because the limits are too low or differ from that of the branch.
Adjust your funds availability policy. Slower access to funds is another of the primary reasons people avoid mobile deposits. If someone deposits a $2,000 check and only sees a $100 credit that day, they may choose to visit the branch in person to get full, same-day credit.
Eliminate online banking enrollment. Simplify enrollment by automatically enabling mobile deposits through mobile apps for new customers or members, rather than adding an extra step to the process.
Increase deposit review thresholds. Financial institutions may ask their staff to review every mobile deposit they receive, which is a time-intensive process. Picking a reasonable amount threshold value and giving clear guidance to staff can make reviews much more efficient.
Deploy risk mitigation tools. Financial institutions should use tools to verify digital signatures and identify check alterations and counterfeits to alleviate charge-off fears that often come with higher deposits.
Use deposit analytics to shift behavior. An experienced partner such as Fiserv can assist in conducting custom research on specific deposit data, and then deliver insights that help drive more deposits to the mobile channel. Deposit analytics can reveal significant performance differences among accountholders, including frequency of deposits, preferred deposit days and times, and deposit volume.
Implement a marketing program. Staying in front of your accountholders with frequent marketing campaigns will help drive mobile deposit adoption. And as your adoption grows, you’ll want to make sure the momentum continues by engaging new account openings.
Train your team. Your front-line branch staff may be your most influential advocates for mobile check deposits. Equipping your team with the necessary knowledge and tools – and fostering a desire to guide depositors – is perhaps the most effective thing you can do to drive adoption. It can give your staff the confidence to explain the product to accountholders without hesitation.
As you choose your plan of action to drive accountholders to mobile deposits, remember: Your customers’ and members’ demand for self-service digital options is high, and their expectations for convenience are even higher. Enlisting expert assistance to build your plan will help ensure success.