TD Bank’s head of integrated sales and advice for consumer distribution, Chris Yancey, has adapted his approach to relationship banking to meet the needs of both in-branch and mobile banking clients based on personal preferences collected through the bank’s customer relationship management (CRM) platform.

The bank recently launched several technology initiatives, including its Next Evolution of Work project aimed at modernizing its IT infrastructure by shifting more to the cloud and the integration of NetSuite’s cloud-based enterprise resource planning platform in an effort to create a comprehensive digital banking experience for its commercial clients.

Yancey sat down with Bank Automation News to discuss how the $1.4 trillion TD Bank leverages technology to manage consumer needs. What follows is an edited version of that conversation.

Bank Automation News: How are you adapting your approach to relationship banking when customers have changing expectations in an increasingly automated world?

Chris Yancey: What we’ve learned is that customers don’t just want an in-store experience or an online or mobile experience — they want the ability to bank with TD, wherever and whenever they want, which can look different day to day, let alone hour to hour. So, as we continue to invest in both digital and physical banking capabilities, we’re committed to ensuring we’re providing a connected customer experience and personalized advice across all channels, with a relentless focus on building and deepening relationships with our customers.

BAN: How does TD Bank leverage technology to better understand client needs?

CY: Having an integrated, holistic CRM tool is also key for our work with the product and frontline teams. By providing our frontline teams access to a robust CRM capability, they’re able to better assist in identifying and responding to the financial needs of our customers while also allowing for integration across lines of business. By providing our line of business teams with these insights, we can better understand what products and services our customers want or need from us.

BAN: How does the bank’s integrated sales team relay consumer wants to its different lines of business?

CY: Our integrated sales and advice team works internally to ensure we have alignment in both how we set goals and how we engage the customer when it comes to various products and services. That’s something that can’t be overplayed enough because we ultimately need to deliver the advice our customers want and need from their bank — whether that comes in the form of a product or service — our customers’ needs are always at the forefront.

We have regular meetings with our product teams supporting deposits, credit cards, home equity lines of credit, residential lending, etc., to align on product delivery to our frontline teams.

BAN: How is your team approaching advice and guidance?

CY: We always have to remember that advice and guidance looks different for everyone. For some customers that means getting your first mortgage or meeting with a financial advisor. For someone else it’s budgeting or planning for retirement. And then there’s everything else in between. The goal is to meet customers where they are and to deliver the products and services that make sense for wherever they are on their financial journey.

BAN: How would you describe your leadership style?

CY: There are two great books that I’ve learned from and have applied to my leadership style. One is “Servant Leadership,” which teaches you to make it about your people and not about you; leadership is not what you do ‘to’ people, rather it’s about what you do ‘with’ your people. The other is “One Minute Manager.” This book shares that the easiest way to manage people is to have absolute clarity around your expectations of them. When your expectations are clear, you can expect people to have the right behaviors and you can recognize them for doing their job the right way.

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