National City boosts online application completion rates and new account openings with live chat.
Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, National City Corporation (NYSE : NCC ) is one of the nation's largest financial holding companies. The company operates through an extensive banking network, primarily in Ohio, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and also serves customers in selected markets nationally.
Its core businesses include commercial and retail banking, mortgage financing and servicing, consumer finance and asset management.
Recognized as a leader in customer experience, National City scored high marks in the 2006 study, "The Keynote Customer Experience Rankings for Banking Web Sites." The independent competitive intelligence study ranked National City in the top three based on the appeal of its overall site design, organization and ease of opening an account online.
The Challenge
With an award-winning website, more than 1,400 branch offices and 2,100 automatic teller machines (ATMs), National City's retail banking division is driven by a customer-focused culture, supplying convenience, flexibility, quality service, and consistency across all delivery channels.
Although branch and ATM utilization enjoy continued growth, the call center and online channels represent significant expansion opportunities for the bank. Aware that increased comfort, confidence and familiarity with the Web were driving consumers online for research, information and advice, National City wanted to use live chat as another avenue to reach out to customers.
The bank's Web channel leaders had assumed that visitors would be responsive to live chat, but wanted to validate their theory by conducting a pilot program based on specific and measurable success criteria: new account openings.
“This was an absolutely positive experience for us and the right thing to do for our customers. Many vendors fall short upon getting the contract. LivePerson has been a pleasant surprise to work with. Their staff did a fantastic job in the implementation, and they have a vested interest in helping us succeed.”
Scott Linabarger
Senior Vice President
Web Marketing, National City