Personalized services VERSUS personal interactions

What Credit Unions Can Learn from 4 Key Banking Trends

[Updated May 2025]

The world of banking is changing—and fast. But not all the change is digital. A new global report shows 4 Key Banking Trends that while members use mobile apps and digital tools more than ever, they still want human service, physical branches, and personalized advice.

At Better Lobby, we believe this is good news for credit unions.  You already focus on relationships, community, and member-first service. The key is having the right tools to deliver that experience efficiently and consistently—both online and in-branch.

Here are four major trends from the EPAM Consumer Banking Report 2021 and what they mean for credit unions using Better Lobby. What are the 4 Key Banking Trends?

1. 🤝 People Want Personal, Not Just Personalized

Many banks focus on automation, chatbots, and self-service tools and call that “personalization.” But according to the report, what people actually want is real human interaction. In fact, 34% of members surveyed said they want more personal interaction with their financial institution—not less.

✅ What this means for credit unions:
You don’t need to replace personal service—you need to support it. Better Lobby helps by:

  • Allowing members to book appointments with specific staff

  • Showing staff photos, bios, and service types during scheduling

  • Making it easy to have a face-to-face, phone, or video conversation

  • Recording visit history so members don’t have to repeat themselves

Photo of people meeting in a credit union. The people are shaking hands after a successful meeting with credit union staff helping their members with services. Better Lobby platform helps credit unions with member satisfaction.

2. 🏦 Branches Aren’t Dying—They’re Evolving

Think branches are outdated? Think again. According to the study, U.S. consumers expect to visit their credit union branch more than 40 times a year. And younger generations agree—30% of Gen Z said branches have become more important to them since the pandemic.

✅ How Better Lobby helps:

  • Offers self check-in kiosks or QR code check-ins to reduce front desk bottlenecks

  • Lets members join a queue before arriving—turning travel time into wait time

  • Displays queue positions on Wall Displays to keep visits fair and transparent

Branches aren’t going away—they just need to be smarter, faster, and easier to navigate.

3. 🧑‍🎓 Gen Z Wants Advice, Education, and Engagement

Gen Z may be tech-savvy, but they also want real financial guidance. According to the report:

  • 46% would visit a branch to drop in for financial advice

  • 40% want branches to offer financial education sessions

  • 61% want their credit union to offer help managing money

✅ Better Lobby makes this easy:

  • Staff can schedule advice sessions and prepare with the member’s visit history

  • Branches can run financial education workshops using our appointment tool to manage attendance

  • Staff can track member needs over time with our Cross-Selling and Visit Notes tools

4. 💡 Members Use Multiple Services—But Stay for the Experience

The study found that 36% of consumers prefer using different financial providers for different needs—but most still stay loyal to one main credit union or bank. Why? Trust, security, and a good member experience.

✅ With Better Lobby, you can strengthen that loyalty by:

  • Keeping visits smooth and organized

  • Making it easy to access help from the right person

  • Giving staff the tools to deliver memorable service every time

When service is fast, personal, and helpful, members are more likely to stick with you—even if they explore other apps or platforms.

Final Thoughts about 4 Key Banking Trends

This new data shows that credit unions are already well-positioned for the future—members want connection, not just convenience. But delivering that consistently requires tools that combine efficiency and personalization.

Better Lobby gives your credit union everything you need to:

  • Improve the in-branch experience

  • Serve members faster

  • Offer real human support—on their schedule

  • Meet Gen Z’s need for guidance and education

  • And reduce wait times without sacrificing service quality

 

Computer illustrated Image of someone using a cell phone to access online services and digital banking.

The following section is the original post from November 2021. While some product names and screenshots may be outdated, we’ve kept it here for historical reference.

Want to align your branch strategy with these trends? Let’s talk about how Better Lobby can help.

The findings of a big new study by EPAM Systems states that FIs are overconcerned with providing personalized services – when in reality people actually want personal interactions. The report concludes that “interacting in a real-time way with another human being — that’s a service that consumers indicate they are interested in.”

Their survey results back up these conclusions:

•           American banking consumers expect to visit their branch more than 40 times a year going forward.

•           Gen Z respondents said access to a physical branch had become more important to them in the past year, especially as Covid-19 forced branches to close temporarily.

Key Takeaway: Digital services play a very important role in the modern banking landscape, but they may not be as effective as CUs think for genuinely taking care of member needs. In fact, many members are looking to their local branch as a place for more personal interactions regarding their finances.