Walking into the ever familiar units of green signs, green chairs; green green is a memorable experience since I can remember. For many people, if I were to ask what company I would be referring to when I say “Green” and “Bank”, the answer is near instantaneous and clear: TD Canada Trust. TD roots back far into my memory of experiences, from going with my parents for printing a history of transactions onto the little green TD books using the ATMs at the front of the bank, to having a special appointment myself for opening my own bank accounts. Needless to say, TD has been and continues to be a part of my life, raising the question of what about TD makes me, as a customer, stay with TD? And questioning one of TD’s campaigns: Can banking be this comfortable?
The main platforms that I have personally observed or experienced would be the physical bank, booked appointment meetings, ATMs, TD EasyWeb online banking site, TD phone line, and TD mobile app, as well as sponsorship events. Some of these platforms are newer than others, but they all have their impact on the customer experience through their interactions with the TD users.
In general, I believe that money is something that is pretty relevant in this society, and is something that is looked closely upon by a lot of people. I know that, for myself, the bank I choose to store my money in must be a bank I trust. Therefore service and security are two of the main things that have a huge impact on how I view a banking company.
The Bank
Starting with the physical bank, it has a variety of ratings, in my books, to the “enjoyability” of the experience. Most of the time, the receptionists and bank tellers have a good helpful attitude, but I have found that, since it is a face-to-face experience, this service is highly subjected to the human emotions that people would regularly exude but are not expected in the role of customer service. But customer service is hard, so can we really blame them for having an “off day”? Or being annoyed by my various requests? As someone that is empathetic, no. However, as a customer, yes. Walking into a store in the customer role just has the expectation that there will be good service. And, additionally, in a banking institution, there may be an overlying customer feeling of how keeping a lot of assets at the bank should constitute good treatment by the employees, though that’s not always the case.
Besides the physical human interactions at the bank, there are other physical additions that impact the customer experience. This includes the beverage machine, security guard, directive line waiting fences, T.V., fish tanks, posters, pamphlets, waiting areas, and the size of the space itself. One of the most irritating things at the bank would be the long wait times to be served by a bank teller — especially if there are teller stations that are closed even though there are so many people waiting in line. So instead of thinking about how long my wait will be, I can go get a black tea and stare at fish.
Having a larger space that is able to fit all customers comfortably during peak hours has a huge impact on how the customers feel. But introducing maintenance of order can go both ways in how someone might feel about their experience. While the directive line waiting fences are very helpful in having a pretty definitive service order, the security guard staring at me just makes me feel off. Not that I have done anything out of the ordinary, but just having eyes follow me is not the best feeling. So likewise, having other things to look at is pretty comforting in deferring away from having awkward encounters of someone being aware that you are looking at them (i.e. the fish).
Appointments
Moving on to the booked appointment meetings. When a customer needs additional help that is more customized and personal than what can be offered by the bank teller, appointments to have an agent meet with you are made. To my knowledge, the appointments can be booked through the phone, in person, or online, allowing for a variety of convenient options. When you later go in for your appointment, you enter the bank and take a seat in the waiting area (maybe grab a black tea and stare at a fish if you get bored). The agent would then come to greet you (hopefully on time) and lead you to their office to begin the appointment. I think the role of these agents are more than what meets the eye. Customers lay a lot of their trust on the suggestions of these agents as to what they should do with their money, their best options, and general information. Since everyone is human, everyone is prone to mistakes. In the case that an agent makes a mistake at the expense of a customer, there are major customer experience setbacks. On the contrary, an agent having a very good relationship with the customer is a big plus.
ATMs
The TD owned ATMs, from my prediction, work similar to that of other ATMs. Its distinctive factors being its colour accents, cleanliness, accessibility, and its ability to remain functional and secure. One of the things that keep me from using ATMs would be the security of them, which is very, very hard to assess from the naked eye. As a customer, I would be more inclined to use an ATM of a company I already trusted from previous experiences, as well as a machine that looks cleaner. This would suggest to me that there is regular maintenance of the machine, which would give me better peace of mind in feeling safer. This, however, is not usually the case for TD’s ATMs, or rather ATMs in general. I think it is also very dependent on the culture of the area which will contribute to my experience in using this TD platform.
EasyWeb
The TD EasyWeb online banking site allows users to easily manage their accounts, make payments, make e-transfers, keep track of transactions, and several other features. I have mainly used it for the above reasons, and it is definitely much more convenient than having to physically step into a bank. To log in, the customer must enter their card number and their password. I personally have the security settings on, and in order for me to actually access my account, I must doubly authenticate. Though it is a tiny bit more tedious, knowing that my account takes an additional step to get into feels more safe. Once you are logged into your account, the layout of the site is pretty intuitive to use because of its well-labeled tabs to match the user’s mental model. The site is smothered in green and is cleanly formatted to do its job. Once you are done with your account, you can log out of the experience by simply clicking the “Logout” button at the top of the page.
I am usually relatively neutral to the site experience, until there are bugs that appear on my account numbers that just freak me out. I previously worked closely with people in the infosec team at my previous coop, and the stories about security breaches have built on my paranoia surrounding finances and information. That time there was a bug on the EasyWeb site, I was frantically calling TD to make sure that everything was okay. In the end everything turned out fine, but the experience tipped me to fear using this service a little more (but I do think that it is very useful, so I’ll be still using it).
Phone Line
TD’s phone line is something that I personally use only when I need quick answers to my questions or if I do not have access to my computer. There are multiple services that the phone line is able to help with, but I mainly use it to reach a TD representative. After calling the number, the automated message announces all the options the phone line can help with, prompting the user to enter a number in the keypad. The customer is later prompted to enter their card number along with their phone code through the keypad as an act of “logging in” to the account. If the user wishes to reach a representative, it is almost a guaranteed wait. TD plays music through the phone during these periods for the reason of not only entertainment, but also as a way to let the user know that they are still on the line. When the representative is reached, they are usually very nice and helpful, but as mentioned in the bank section before, human emotions don’t tend to be streamlined.
Mobile App
I don’t have much insight on the TD mobile app, but from word of mouth, I have heard that the security of it is not as high as it would be using the other platforms. Security is something that is very important to me in a banking service, so I have avoided using the mobile app myself, though it is without question more convenient.
Improvements
I think that TD is doing a relatively good job in moving with the times as far as banks go. Since banks need to keep a high regard for security in mind at all times, it is hard to move at a faster rate when it comes to innovation. However, I don’t think that it would hurt to shift more of a focus on working to polish the existing platforms that TD is currently offering. For example, I think that it would be beneficial to always update security methods as well as fix existing bugs that are lurking around. As time goes on, technology improves, and as technology improves, so does the tech that is used to host malicious attacks.
When I reported a bug on my account to TD, it seemed like it was taken with very light regard, saying that it was nothing and my account had nothing out of the ordinary. I found that by doing that, my confidence in the website security was lowered and I find myself terrified to even approach the mobile app. I think that introducing a follow up with customers about bugs would help in this regard. This could be through an add-on on the site, with truncated notifications on fixes to provide reassurance.
Improvements through the appointment process can be done through reminders. Leading up to the appointment, it would be helpful for there to be notification texts sent to the customer’s phone about the appointment date. On the day of the appointment, I think it would be helpful for the agent or the bank to send a text to the customer’s phone regarding when they are ready to meet. This will allow the customer to not need to physically wait at the bank until the appointment.
For the phone line, to better the wait, a feature to enter a returning call number so that the representative can call the customer back instead would be a beneficial improvement for the customer experience. In addition to lessening the phone bill on the part of the customer, it will allow users to go on with their day, knowing that they are still in line to be called back by a representative.
In terms of the physical experience at the bank, I think that TD is doing great! I love the beverage machine and it definitely makes my wait feel shorter and overall experience better. Maybe introducing new drinks could be fun for customers?
Green
Jumping into branding, TD’s green theme is just so recognizable that it would be stupidly wrong for another banking company to use it. Contrary, if you were to actually look at “The Big Five” banks in Canada, other banks are able to share their colours in a looser association to their brand than TD’s green. For example RBC and BMO using blue, and Scotiabank and CIBC using red. TD uses different colour variations which makes their visual design more interesting. This green colour is transferred to all of TD’s branding, signs, websites, locations, etc. Though I don’t have research evidence of this, I think it’s pretty interesting to note how valuable the colour green itself is to TD.
It is additionally interesting to note how TD uses design patterns in making each location recognizable in its format and placement, introducing familiarity of the service. In every TD bank, there will be repeated elements of the waiting area chairs, the fish tank, the beverage machine, the line waiting barrier and more; this is able to make the customer experience memorable despite being in a different location.
TD has many different platforms designed to try to increase the convenience of banking with them. With both newer and older technologies to appeal to the new generation, as well as the old. The platforms offered to the customers are pretty stand-alone in being able to complete a majority of the needed transactions in one place, connecting to how TD has a focus on making banking comfortable and easier for customers.
So, all in all, I will say the green couch is pretty okay; a couple of lumps here and there, but overall is the chair that I place my trust in to carry my weight.
