Five Ways to Improve Your Bank’s Commercial Lending Department

When running a business, one of the most important things an owner needs is access to capital. Unfortunately, getting their hands on that much needed capital is never easy, quick or painless. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. But the experience doesn’t have to be all bad. If you are a lender, consider these five steps to stand out from your competitors.

Be Convenient
For people who own or run a business, many times it is their passion (or their obsession) and most spend 60 plus hours a week tirelessly working on making that business a success. The last thing they have time for in the middle of the day is to run to the bank to talk about their borrowing needs. Provide your business customers with a way to explore and even apply for a loan outside of the scope of normal bank hours and in a way that leverages technology as a productivity enabler. In this instant online access world, banks need to provide their customers convenience, and technology is essential to that.

Be Fast
When the need for capital arises, most business owners needed it “yesterday” rather that “six to eight weeks from now.” Let’s face it, in the world of banking, we’re always thorough, but we’re not always quick. The time to process most loans, from application to funding, can take a very long time. One of the biggest negative influencers on the customer experience is the frustration borrowers have to deal with as the lending process drags on. Through automation, banks can streamline lending processes without compromising their credit requirements. Leverage technology by integrating resources for data collection, underwriting, collection of the required documentation as well as closing and funding.

Be Easy to Work With
It takes a lot of time and energy just to complete a loan application. And it’s by no means over once the business owner gets approved. Streamline and automate your application loan processing workflows as much as possible to eliminate tedious re-keying of the same data over and over again, or requiring applicants to fill out or review elements of the application that don’t apply to them. Provide a way for clients to get the bank what it needs, including bank statements, tax returns, financials etc., in a simple, automated and timely way by integrating technology where possible.

Be Aware of the Big Picture
Business owners are coming to you for more than just a loan. They want help running their business and welcome any advice or value-added information the bank provides. Know that the loan is only one part of the picture. Understand what the capital means to the business. What does the new piece of machinery mean for the long and short term of the company’s performance? How will the extra employees impact the growth of the company? How does what you are doing for the business enhance both the business and personal side of the relationship? To really be a trusted advisor, ask questions that focus on the benefits the business will realize from engaging with the bank. Create a loan process that allows bankers to focus their time on helping customers. Bankers should be building relationships, cross-solving, and maximizing the bank’s share of wallet instead of spending their time spreading numbers and chasing down documents.

Be Prepared
Study after study has proven the the main difference between a top performing sales person and an average producer is the amount of time they spend “preparing” for a conversation with a business owner. The more prepared a banker is, the better the customer experience. Being prepared means doing your homework and understanding the business, the industry, the business owner, and the local economy, for starters. The more prepared a banker is, the more help they can provide and the more value they will bring to the relationship.

With every bank knocking at the doors of the same businesses, competition for quality customers has never been more intense. Follow these five simple steps to set the customer experience your bank delivers above all the rest.