The branch isn’t disappearing. It’s being reimagined as a connected, relationship-driven growth channel powered by digital account opening technology.

Across the industry, financial institutions are investing in their physical networks while changing what happens inside them. Seventy-six percent of credit unions are transitioning branches into advisory hubs, and in the past three quarters, U.S. banks have reported a net gain of 120 branches—opening more locations than they’ve closed. The branch is still a critical banking channel, but its value increasingly depends on delivering the kind of personalized, relationship-building experiences that differentiate regional and community banks and credit unions.

That makes modernizing branch operations more urgent. If staff spend an account opening conversation toggling between disconnected systems, looking up product-specific compliance requirements, or calling in a specialist, they have less time to understand a customer or member’s needs and deepen the relationship. Legacy technology can turn what should be a high-value interaction into an operational bottleneck.

It also forces specialization. When opening a business account requires different systems, processes, and expertise than opening a consumer checking account, staff become proficient in narrow areas and dependent on specialists for everything else. That limits who they can serve, which products they can confidently recommend and open, and ultimately how effectively the branch can contribute to growth.

A universal banker model removes those silos. Instead of assigning employees to narrow transaction or product roles, it equips branch staff to serve any customer or member more holistically—from understanding their needs to opening the right account—without handing them off to another employee. With modern account opening technology guiding workflows, requirements, and compliance steps, staff can confidently handle more account types while maintaining a consistent, time-stamped audit trail.

For regional and community banks and credit unions, that shift can turn the branch from a costly service channel into a connected growth driver: one where technology handles more of the process complexity so employees can focus on relationships.

Three account opening capabilities can help financial institutions embrace the universal banker model and bring in-branch operations into the modern era.

1. Guided workflows that build confidence

When the account origination process involves navigating between systems, referencing printed manuals, and remembering which steps apply to which scenario, mistakes are inevitable. Business accounts in particular carry compliance requirements that can trip up even experienced staff.

The solution is software that adaptively guides them through each account type, surfacing only the relevant steps and questions, so it’s clear what actions to take at every point in the process. Then, the system handles verification and compliance in the background so their focus is squarely on the applicant’s experience.

The impact is demonstrated by Credit Union West, who uses MANTL Retail and Business Account Opening to embrace a Universal Banker model in-branch. Before modernizing their in-branch account opening process, staff reported that the old workflow created anxiety about skipping steps, which pulled their focus away from member conversations. After implementing MANTL, they began opening accounts from anywhere in the branch, whether at a teller window or in a private office, without needing specialized knowledge. The process became fast and consistent enough that any staff member could handle any account type, including business accounts, with confidence.

When staff actually trust their account opening system, they stop second-guessing themselves and start fully engaging with customers and members. This shift happened with business accounts at Credit Union West. What once took up to two days now takes less than 20 minutes. Staff who previously struggled with compliance errors now open business accounts without hesitation.

2. Real-time visibility across channels

Assurance in the workflow is only part of the equation. To serve members and customers as universal bankers, branch staff also need visibility across channels, so they can understand what a member or customer has already done and confidently take the next step.

After all, applicants don’t think in channels. They might start an application on their phone, get interrupted, and walk into a branch the next day expecting to continue the conversation—not start over. When systems and channels are disconnected, staff lack the context to pick up where the customer or member left off. The result is duplicated work, unnecessary handoffs, and more time spent navigating processes instead of building the relationship.

Enabling branch staff with digital account opening eliminates those channel silos. With one platform connecting account opening across online and in-person experiences, staff can meet account holders wherever they are in the journey and keep the relationship moving forward.

Dupaco Community Credit Union shows what that can look like at scale. The credit union consolidated retail and business onboarding onto a single platform across channels, replacing seven separate screens and three disconnected systems in its branches with one streamlined experience. Dupaco cut in-branch retail account opening time from 45 minutes to just five minutes and has saved more than 4,194 hours of frontline staff time. Today, 78% of retail accounts opened in-branch require no manual intervention, while 99% of in-branch retail applications are approved.

Those efficiency gains create room for something more valuable than faster transactions: stronger member relationships. Dupaco’s Member Experience and Branch Leadership teams are using the time saved to provide frontline employees with more educational training, helping them deepen member engagement and deliver better financial coaching.

That’s the promise of a connected branch experience. When technology gives staff the context and tools to serve account holders across channels, employees can spend less time managing the process and more time advising the person in front of them. And when the relationship calls for more than one product, they also need the ability to open multiple accounts just as efficiently.

3. Bulk Account/Share Opening

Opening multiple accounts/shares for a single applicant is an important capability for in-branch staff to support, but it is inherently complex. A small business owner might need a checking account, a savings account, and a money market account. A property management company, on the other hand, may be opening accounts for a new building and might need dozens at once. With traditional systems, each account means a separate application, which means hours of repetitive data entry and frustratingly lengthy branch visit.

Bulk Account/Share Opening lets staff open multiple accounts from a single application. What once took an afternoon instead takes minutes.

This simplified account origination process transforms the nature of the interaction. Staff can spend time learning about the customer or member’s business, understanding its goals and identifying other beneficial services. The role shifts from data entry to advisor, which is more valuable for the financial institution and more rewarding for the staff member.

As banks and credit unions compete for business deposits, the ability to handle sophisticated, high-value relationships efficiently becomes a real differentiator. In-branch staff that are equipped with the right tools can win those relationships instead of being buried by them.

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