Discover how modern banks and credit unions are scaling their customer service efforts smarter, while enhancing the experience.

Digital banking leaders are often navigating complex priorities, striving to run efficient operations while also delivering exceptional customer service and user experiences. Historically, support strategies have tended to lean in one direction or the other—prioritizing either operational efficiency or high-touch service.

Leaders we’ve worked with often share that when prioritizing efficiency, their approach typically includes strategies like:

• Lowering overall cost-to-serve
• Reducing handle times in the contact center
• Streamlining staffing models
• Partnering with cost-effective vendors

Meanwhile, we’ve also seen customer service excellence take shape through actions like:

• Designing interactions that delight customers and members
• Investing in highly trained, specialized service teams
• Partnering with advanced technology providers
• Offering seamless, 24/7 omnichannel access
• Delivering service on par with the world’s leading brands

Historically, these efforts were seen as a trade-off. Excelling in one area often meant pulling back in the other. But with artificial intelligence (AI) and modern digital banking solutions, that dynamic is changing.

Breaking the Mold of Modern Banking

Now, leaders are no longer bound by the old mindset of trade-offs. The challenge isn’t simply choosing between efficiency and experience, it’s about discovering new ways to achieve both. What once felt like a balancing act is now an open invitation to rethink, reimagine, and transform.

If you reviewed your contact center budget line by line, you might see decisions that historically tilted toward either cost control or user satisfaction. But modern tools and strategies are changing the game. With the right technology, smarter workflows, and empowered teams, it’s no longer about compromising…it’s about unlocking possibilities.

As a leader, you’re not just managing competing priorities. You’re uniquely positioned to break the mold. To lead boldly. To design experiences that delight users and operate efficiently. And it’s where the most forward-thinking organizations are headed.

The new challenge isn’t choosing one or the other. It’s finding creative, sustainable ways to deliver both. This is your opportunity to lead true transformation.

The Power of the Possible

Forward-thinking leaders are already proving that it’s within reach to deliver both efficiency and exceptional user experiences. By unifying voice and digital interactions within a single, seamless platform (such as a ChannelLess® platform) and embedding AI at every level across agents, managers, executives, and account holders, organizations are transforming how service is delivered.

A ChannelLess® approach removes the friction caused by siloed channels, enabling users to move effortlessly between chat, voice, and digital touchpoints without ever losing context. For agents, it means working from one unified interface. For users, it means faster, more personalized interactions that feel like one continuous conversation.

This connected approach enables smarter routing, faster resolution, more personalized support, and real-time insights. It removes friction for users while reducing operational strain on your teams. And with modern digital banking solutions built to support this kind of seamless engagement, what once seemed aspirational is now fully achievable.

Efficiency + Experience in Action

Financial institutions that have unified their contact center operations are seeing that about half of all live interactions (voice and chat) can now be fully automated, with user satisfaction as high—or higher—than before. AI-driven platforms can identify the reason for contact upfront and route users to the best interaction type for their needs, reducing unnecessary friction and speeding time to resolution.

For routine requests, this means users get instant support through virtual assistants. For more complex needs, they’re escalated to a live agent—but not just any interaction.

It’s a dramatic shift in operational efficiency: Imagine supplementing the need for live assistance with a self-service experience in 65% of your current user interactions. That’s not just savings—it’s scale.

AI That Makes Human Service Shine

Okay, we know—not everything can be automated. But for the moments that truly require a human touch, AI can still play a powerful supporting role. A host of new tools and capabilities are elevating the experience for both the live agent and the customer or member on the other end.

By the time the agent says “hello” they are presented with a host of information:

• This user’s name (they’ve already been authenticated)
• What they’re contacting us about (issue diagnosis has already occurred)
• Prior interaction history
• Recommended solutions or scripts
• Instant coaching, tips and best practices
• Potential cross-sell or upsell opportunities

This AI-powered partnership enables agents to focus on empathy, problem-solving, and building trust, not on repetitive tasks or information gathering. Ironically, AI is helping agents become more human. And that’s what creates lasting connections.

Want to learn more? Chat with an Alkami representative to explore how Glia and Alkami are transforming digital customer service for financial institutions.