A Note from our CEO, Scott Soderberg

 

Every business looks for opportunities to streamline the way it does business, whether that be reviewing its product options, examining how its staff works, or re-evaluating how it connects with its customers.  Manufacturing firms which engineer and refine highly technical products depend on having the latest and greatest equipment so they can produce state-of-the-art products for business consumers who demand nothing but the very best for their own enterprises.  Retailers of consumer goods and services leverage the latest marketing techniques and media channels to best reach customers who are the most likely to buy their products.  It is a constant race to the top that, while expensive, makes the products we buy some of the very best in the world.

But how does this race for new and better tech affect companies whose business model depends upon good old-fashioned personal connections to reliably provide some of the most important products and services customers will ever need?  These entities must engage in a balancing act of sorts, weighing out the need for greater efficiency with the need to enhance their high-touch customer interactions.  While of course not mutually exclusive, those principles can be at odds when businesses need to demonstrate their ability to make human connections with both current and future customers.

To the surprise of no one reading this article, community banks happen to fall into the category of institutions whose people must connect personally with their customers to fulfill their core mission--effectively providing the right financial products and services to folks who live and work in the same small towns they do.  At FNC Bank, we DO constantly search for ways to streamline procedures and increase efficiency.  The one test, however, that any new tech must satisfy here is that it cannot have a negative impact on the availability of human interaction with our customers.  In other words, we are adopting new systems that reduce the amount of administrative work our staff does, so that they can spend more time productively engaging and assisting you when it matters most.  Of course, technology has also made the incredible convenience of “self-service” digital banking a routine endeavor.  But there can be no doubt that many financial options you consider are some of the most important decisions you will make in your life.  Our philosophy is founded upon the belief that banking is intensely personal in many respects, and having the ability to simply talk to us is a powerful thing--especially when no electronic explanation will do.

In 2026, we are adding products that save you time with your personal purchases (Tap & Pay cards), transacting business with your customers (Tap-to-Local convenient business point-of-sale options), more convenient digital signing options, and user-friendly cash management features.  And guess what?  These changes are not only giving you more time to talk to us about your most important financial moves; they are also keeping us fully able to listen.