Celebrating over 30 years of banking success, Woodforest National Bank is a privately owned community bank currently servicing over 900,000 customers at more than 750 branches across the states of Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Illinois, Indiana, South Carolina, Kentucky, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, Georgia and Florida.
Woodforest takes the “SAY YES” attitude, offering its customers the unsurpassed value of convenient locations and quality customer service 7 days a week, as well as “round the clock” branch hours open 24 hours a day in select markets. Woodforest combines all of this with a full line of products and services including Woodforest Checking, Second Chance Checking, Online Banking with daily email notification, as well as commercial and personal loans, competitive CDs Going Here, loans, and money market rates, illustrating our motto of “Banking Your Way…Every Day and Night!”
The Solution
Woodforest selected Omnivex digital signage software to manage their network after going through an extensive evaluation process that spanned a full year. During this time pilot projects were undertaken at select branch locations to best compare the functionality and usability of various software platforms. Omnivex software was ultimately selected as the software of choice. “We selected Omnivex because of its ability to handle data,” said Cindi Stewart, Vice President of Marketing for Woodforest National Bank. She continued, “Having the Omnivex scheduling capabilities helps Woodforest execute its digital marketing campaigns in a timely and efficient manner – all from our offices in The Woodlands, TX. We’re finding that the digital signage is an excellent strategy for bolstering customer service and a true competitive advantage. Omnivex gives us a dynamic visual communication system, allowing us to reach our customers.”
While branding, messaging and most of the content displayed is the same across the entire network, there is the capability of local customization for each branch. “Small details, such as the store hours, will vary between banks,” said in-house graphic designer, Stacey Powitzky. “For instance, we have 5 branches that are open 24/7, so it’s important that we have the option to tailor those details, as the customer doing banking at 4am will have different needs than the one in the branch at 10am,” she explained. The goal for Woodforest was to maintain their brand image and convey a consistent corporate message, while still providing the local information relevant to customer’s needs.
Woodforest National Bank has installed digital screens inside the majority of their 35 free-standing and 715 Walmart bank branches in the Midwest
South and East regions of the United States. The screens, which are used to advertise Woodforest products and services, are located throughout the banks, with the total number of displays varying based on the size of each branch location. Most locations have a 40″ flat screen display with digital signage as well as a second screen present behind the teller line to display financial news programming, such as Bloomberg. Having the digital signage screen situated at the front of the store helps to entice passers-by and engage customers checking out. “By leaving the screen at the front of the bank on at all times we are able to advertise to current and prospective customers even when a branch is closed,” explained Stewart. “It’s a great way to extend the reach of our advertising.”
Small 15-inch screens are stationed between the various teller lines to help reduce perceived wait-times. This also provides Woodforest with a medium to promote bank products and services to customers throughout their in-store visit. In newer branches there is even a large display at the back of the bank to further enhance the impact of the messaging in the stores.
In some cases, the digital signage network has been extended outdoors to the drive through banking area. These screens are used to display advertising content to customers in their vehicles. The total number of screens varies at each branch depending on their size and subsequent space limitations. Smaller locations may have 2 – 3 screens while larger ones can accommodate up to 7 displays. The digital signage has provided Woodforest with a way to reach their customers at all of the service touch points.
“Woodforest National Bank is changing the way banks think about how they interact with customers, and it’s reaping the benefits,” said Chris Devlin, President of Omnivex. “Many organizations think of digital signs as an extension of static signs, but Woodforest is tailoring its messaging to a targeted group of viewers. With Omnivex, Woodforest is capable of changing its messaging at a moment’s notice to react to world news or market events. This is a seminal change in the way business is conducted.”
