“Whatever you do, make sure the customer is taken care of first.” These words ring true in my head as I think of some of the best advice I’ve been given through my banking career. 

Community banks are a mainstay of whatever town they are located in. Whether a town of 500 or 500,000, it is usually the case that the bank is the business that has been there for everything. There are many things that can be singled out as components to creating the longevity that community banks enjoy, but to me, there is one that is the most important: customer service. 

Today, when a regulator asks about knowing your customer, they mean do you know their social security number and that they have a good address. They want to know if you know whether or not they are a politically exposed person or if they are running a money service business. Customer service in a community bank goes deeper than that. At a community bank, a customer is greeted every time they walk in the door, usually by first name. Now, while this is a good bank security protocol, most community bank employees aren’t thinking security when they say hello; they are just being friendly. And in community banks, customer service usually goes beyond a first name. There are conversations in my bank all the time about how kids, or grandkids, are doing. How the local sports teams fared this past week, whether people are attending the local community activities coming up this week, and, yes, even a drop or two of some juicy gossip. And this is what customers expect — and what they deserve — when they walk into their community bank.

More than once, I have overheard a customer talking about going into other businesses and not getting good service. I have also received phone calls from customers when they felt they didn’t get the best service they could have. Thankfully, I find those issues easy to resolve. By making sure bank employees are meeting the standards that our customers expect, we can make lasting partnerships — some that go for multiple generations. Being a fifth-generation banker, I have experienced some of those long-time customers. I once had a customer come in and borrow $100 for a day, just to say he had been involved in borrowing from all five generations at the bank. He told me about how he remembered coming to the bank as a kid with his dad so his dad could talk to my great-grandfather about a loan. We must have done something right along the way to keep his family’s business for so long.

The nice thing is that good customer service is not a difficult thing to obtain. I think every employee is inclined to be friendly. Sometimes they just need to be coached and encouraged to take that next step. They shouldn’t be afraid to spend a few extra minutes chatting with their customers and learning about them. It seems that in today’s world, everything is rushed and needs to be done yesterday. I find that taking that extra time not only makes the customer feel more appreciated, but the number of errors also decreases because the employee does not feel so stressed. And I get it: Sometimes the customer is in a hurry, and employees need to recognize that as well, which is part of having great customer service.

Customer service in our industry is the foundation upon which our businesses are built. It’s about building relationships, instilling confidence and creating a positive and secure experience for our customers.

I’m proud to be a community banker and am grateful we have been able to serve customers here for five generations. While lobby traffic has decreased a little over time with the introduction of internet and mobile banking, there are customers who are still looking for that friendly personal service. We should all strive to offer the best customer service in our area and ensure that we are around to offer the same great service for generations to come. 

Sincerely, 

Julie Hower 
President & CEO, Farmers & Drovers Bank, Council Grove