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Mastering Business Banking Solutions: The Superpower of Sub-User Management

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How Granular Controls Enhance Efficiency in Business Banking Solutions

A Tale of Two Business Accounts
Picture this: Sally, a small business owner, spends her Friday afternoons tediously managing her team’s access to the company’s banking account. Password resets, manual approval of transactions, and the constant fear of “What did I miss?” plague her weekends.

Meanwhile, over at a digitally mature bank, Jack enjoys a seamless interface in his business banking solution that allows him to assign specific permissions to each employee, track approvals in real time, and still make it to his Friday night plans.

What sets Jack apart isn’t just luck—it’s advanced sub-user management, a cornerstone of forward-thinking online banking platforms.

According to Alkami’s Business Banking Digital Maturity Model, 92% of surveyed institutions offer sub-user management, but the sophistication of these solutions varies wildly. Only a select few are maximizing their potential with granular permissions and intuitive user interfaces (UI). Let’s dive into why this matters and how financial institutions can rise to the occasion.

What Is Sub-User Management, Anyway?

At its core, sub-user management allows businesses to provide access to their accounts for multiple users while maintaining control over who can do what. It’s the digital equivalent of giving someone a key to your office but ensuring they can only access the storage closet, not the cash register.

Business administrators granting business banking access to multiple users while retaining control over permissions, limits and actions.

Business administrators granting business banking access to multiple users while retaining control over permissions, limits and actions.

The Business Banking Digital Maturity Model highlights a crucial insight: while most financial institutions have basic sub-user capabilities, it’s the user-interface (UI) design that distinguishes the leaders from the rest. Without a user-friendly interface, even advanced features can be rendered unusable.

Tech Titans—the most digitally mature institutions identified in the model—set themselves apart by consistently offering advanced functionality like granular permissions combined with a seamless user experience.

These institutions excel in delivering a cutting-edge online banking platform that is easy to navigate, making sub-user management a true asset rather than a frustration.

Their ability to blend sophistication with simplicity positions them as leaders in business banking solutions.

The Three Levels of Sub-User Management: Where Does Your Institution Stand?

  1. Basic:
    • What It Offers: Add or remove users. Everyone gets the same access level.
    • The Downside: Limited control, higher security risks, and frustrated users.
  2. Intermediate:
    • What It Offers: Role-based access but with clunky interfaces.
    • The Tradeoff: Better control but poor usability leads to abandonment.
  3. Advanced:
    • What It Offers: Tailored permissions for every role, straightforward workflows, and real-time monitoring.
    • The Benefits: Increased security, happier users, and streamlined operations.

The key takeaway: a feature-rich system without an intuitive interface won’t cut it. Usability isn’t just a bonus—it’s a business imperative.

Why Sophistication Matters in Sub-User Management

The true power of sub-user management lies not just in its features but in the way those features are delivered. A simple UI transforms advanced capabilities into tools that businesses can adopt with ease, creating a seamless and productive user experience.

To learn more about how user experience drives business banking success, check out our blog on Elevating User Experience as the Foundation for Business Banking Digital Maturity.

Here’s why a focus on sophistication and simplicity matters:

  • Ease of Use: A well-designed UI minimizes the learning curve for business users. Instead of getting lost in a maze of confusing menus, they can focus on running their businesses with confidence.
  • Efficiency: Streamlined tools save businesses valuable time when managing roles, permissions, limits and approvals.
  • Enhanced Security Without Complexity: Even advanced security features, such as multi-level approval workflows and real-time monitoring, become accessible and easy to use with an intuitive design. This ensures businesses can safeguard their operations without feeling overwhelmed.

How Alkami Powers Granular Sub-User Management

Alkami’s online banking platform takes sub-user management to the next level with sophisticated, commercial-grade functionality that’s designed to be easy to understand and use—even for the busiest business owners.

Alkami offers a digital banking experience built for advanced business accounts without sacrificing an approachable user experience for businesses of all sizes—and the financial institution administrators that serve them.

Alkami offers a digital banking experience built for advanced business accounts without sacrificing an approachable user experience for businesses of all sizes—and the financial institution administrators that serve them.

Key features include:

  • Account Package Inheritance: New business accounts can be assigned to a predefined package, automatically inheriting themes, widget access, and transaction limits without manual setup.
  • Quick Sub-User Creation: Administrators can quickly create sub-users by cloning permissions or assigning unique access rights and limits tailored to each role.
  • Customizable Limits: With a single click, pre-set limits for a package can be overridden to accommodate unique needs, such as distinct payment limits for higher-risk ACH debit originations versus ACH credit originations.
  • Comprehensive Reporting: Financial institutions can generate detailed reports on overrides and other user activity, making auditing across the entire organization effortless.

A standout aspect of Alkami’s digital banking platform is its focus on simplicity. The user-friendly design makes setting up roles and permissions as straightforward as setting up a social media profile, eliminating the frustration that often comes with overly complex systems.

From Frustration to Simplicity: A Digital Maturity Makeover

Let’s revisit Sally from our earlier example.

Here’s how her life changes when her financial institution embraces advanced sub-user management with an accessible UI:

Before:

  • She spends hours every month updating access manually.
  • The lack of granular controls leads to confusion and occasional mishaps.
  • The interface feels like solving a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded.

After:

  • Assigning and modifying roles takes minutes.
  • Customized permissions and limits keep her business secure.
  • She logs in, smiles at the user-friendly dashboard, and heads to her yoga class.

The Business Case for Simplicity in Sub-User Management

If you’re a financial institution debating whether it’s worth investing in advanced sub-user capabilities with a refined UI, here’s some food for thought:

  • Retain More Business Operating Accounts: Sophisticated yet simple solutions keep clients happy and loyal.
  • Attract Larger Businesses: Enterprise clients demand tools that mirror their organizational complexity while remaining user-friendly.
  • Stand Out in a Crowded Market: With 92% of banks and credit unions offering sub-user management, the battle isn’t just about having it—it’s about doing it better​.
  • Enhance Security and Control: Features like transaction limits provide business accounts with confidence and flexibility, making your digital banking platform more attractive.

For more guidance on managing transaction limits effectively, check out our blog on Best Practices for Business Banking Solutions Transaction Limit Management.

Simplicity Is the New Sophistication

Sub-user management is more than just a feature—it’s a reflection of how well an institution understands its clients’ needs. By offering advanced capabilities through an intuitive UI, banks and credit unions can transform their business banking solutions from functional to phenomenal.

With partners like Alkami leading the charge, there’s no reason to settle for mediocrity. So, the question isn’t whether your financial institution offers sub-user management—it’s whether you’re doing it with the simplicity and elegance of the most digitally mature segment in business banking, the Tech Titan.

author avatar
Kristen Bryce
Kristen Bryce is the Senior Product Marketing Manager at Alkami with expertise in commercial banking, treasury management, and security and fraud protection.

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