RYAN BRANCH CONCEPTS b r a n c h
p l a n n i n g
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Ryan Branch Concepts is a management consulting firm focused on helping financial institutions make sound decisions regarding retail delivery strategy, branch design and branch deployment. We understand that branch design should be used to advance corporate goals, achieve specific market objectives, and conform to operational and financial constraints—and we know how to do it. Branch design needs to flow from strategic objectives. But design decisions can also help delineate opportunities, shape priorities, and influence implementation plans. This juncture between strategic thinking and design execution is a critical weakness in many branch programs. Most architects don’t have enough knowledge about current and future trends in retail banking to help their clients ask important questions. And most bankers don’t have enough background in design to offer the kind of feedback that designers need in their efforts to arrive at an optimal solution. Our work improves results by helping the financial institution identify and communicate crucial design parameters to the design team, and likewise, helping the design team to develop and convey alternatives—and their consequences—to the client.
Timothy J. Ryan has been a leading figure in the design of branch environments and the development of profitable branch networks since the early 1980’s. As a founding partner of an architectural firm in Albany, New York, Tim led the firm’s extensive work with financial institutions throughout the Northeast region. In 1990, Tim co-founded a consulting firm which specialized in branch network planning and branch design, working with banks and credit unions of all sizes across the United States. Since that time, the development of branch prototypes based on new operational models has been a particular focus of Tim’s work. Tim has been a speaker at numerous banking conferences in the US and abroad and has contributed to a number of publications on topics related to delivery system planning and branch design. He received Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Architecture degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.
Branch Planning Principles In order to deliver the highest level of customer service, it is essential to maximize the efficiency of branch personnel. Under most circumstances, staff availability is the critical limiting factor in meeting customer needs and expectations; therefore, inefficient use of staff resources is totally at odds with the goal of exceptional customer service. This axiom is true equally at branches of all sizes. However, achieving the efficient utilization of staff becomes more difficult as the headcount is reduced. Common attributes of conventional branches contribute to a breakdown of customer service quality when staff numbers fall below a threshold number. As banks seek to deploy smaller branches, which can operate at reduced cost levels, it is essential that appropriate adjustments be made in the design of these branches, to improve staff effectiveness in delivering customer service.
Conventional Branch Despite significant variation in the character (or “look and feel”) of branches among numerous competitors in a given market, most branches have fundamentally similar layouts. As illustrated in the typical plan below, branch staff are most often grouped in distinct activity zones, which are arrayed around the perimeter of the branch, with a large central space (the “bank lobby”) allocated to customer circulation and customer waiting. As staffing levels decline, these scattered staff members become increasingly isolated from each other—eroding staff effectiveness. This situation is not significantly changed by simply reducing the square footage of the branch. The long travel distances between branch components also interferes with the ability of cross-trained staff to adapt to fluctuations in branch traffic and customer needs. The best utilization of a small staff is achieved when each individual is capable of performing a number of different tasks, and can switch from one activity to another easily. In the above diagram, it is prohibitively cumbersome for a customer service rep or greeter to shift to a teller station in response to customer traffic.
Efficient Branch A branch designed to maximize staff efficiency and effectiveness will: - promote teamwork by decreasing barriers and increasing opportunities for communication be tween staff - enable team members to easily shift between tasks on an as-needed basis in response to shifting traffic patterns, to meet sales and service priorities - promote a consistent, high-quality customer experience, even under low-staffing conditions (such as, extended hours) The branch plan shown below achieves these goals by consolidating the staff into a compact area at the center of the branch. A variety of “activity zones” are arrayed around this staff core. Each activity zone can have a distinct physical setting, from the rope-line and “teller counter” in the transaction zone, to a sit down counter and enclosed meeting rooms in the “sales” zone. Yet, the configuration makes it easy for a “universal” staff person to shift tasks by taking only a few steps in either direction. The plan also supports a more-nearly seamless transition between activities for any individual customer. For example, a question asked during a routine teller transaction might indicate a service need or sales opportunity, which might be more effectively discussed by moving with the customer to an appropriate setting. In many cases this approach will be more effective—and better received by the customer—than referring him or her to someone else on the opposite side of the lobby. This configuration departs from conventional practice in order to achieve specific strategic objectives. It represents a facility response to the evolving needs of financial institutions seeking a cost-effective branch format capable of meeting the highest levels of service quality.
portfolio
integra bank
A
Free Checking
S-2.1c
Drive Up Services
See _____ See S-2.1e
S-2.1d
Teller 1
drive up services
S-2.1e S-5c
Elevation View A
Teller 2 S-1
Teller 3
B S-2.1b
S-2.1a
Elevation View B
C Elevation View C BrandPartners New York 155 West 19th Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10011 ph: 212.255.5501 fx: 212.255.8724 www.BrandPartners.com
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Integra Bank Prototype
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Teller Service Desk May 16, 2006
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webster bank
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New Branch Prototype
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Ryan Bank Concepts
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Š2011 Ryan Bank Concepts. All rights reserved. Information, material, and designs
CONCEPT
proposed floor plan
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mainsource
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capital one bank
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wsfs bank
wsfs bank
existing
novobranch
• aerial view showing design as inline store
• early design concept
• logo / brand
• stages of the retail fit-out • point-of-sale material design mock-ups
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novobranch
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SMALL BRANCH CONCEPT
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RYAN BRANCH CONCEPTS branch planning & design 293 county route 54 schagticoke, new york 12154 518.899.9950 timryan.rwa@att.net