For many financial brands, the drive-up has been a lifeline in our new COVID era. Providing services that once took place inside the bank branch, the drive-up is now helping banks pivot in this moment of uncertainty. One community bank’s pre-COVID planning would result in fortuitous timing. Extending well beyond some banks’ simple repurposing of the drive-up channel, Guaranty Bank & Trust’s state-of-the-art ITM has created a brand beacon and a community connection.
To gain a foothold in a market it had previously been absent from in Greenwood, MS, Guaranty Bank & Trust worked with Adrenaline to design and deploy a modern version of the drive-up – the ITM. Robert Toomey, GB&T Market President, says, “The addition of an ITM drive-thru on Park Ave has filled a void for consumer banking here in Greenwood. This drive-thru location is providing our customers with the same convenient services offered in the branch – but from the seat of their cars.”
As part of a larger bank renovation, the deployment of the ITMs alone has resulted in great ROI for Guaranty Bank & Trust. According to Hue Townsend, GB&T’s President & CEO, “Being one of the first banks in the MS Delta to be able to offer this cutting edge technology using an ITM, we have the functionality of the branch using standalone ITMs, creating an opportunity to attract more customers and provide flexibility to our existing ones.”
With the ability to manage the ITM remotely, the bank has been able to benefit from efficiencies in staffing and provide extended hours for customers that would have come at a great cost were these traditional staffed drive-ups. Leveraging the Network Effect and providing a more channel-less experience, Guaranty Bank & Trust is successfully using the ITM to bridge the physical and digital customer experience.