We all know how it goes, you walk down the street these days and the majority of people will have their noses stuck in their smartphones. In 2019, there were over 265 million smartphone users in the United States. That number is expected to grow to over 285 million by 2023.[i]
These days, we use smartphone and computer apps to purchase our groceries, pay our bills online, help us quit smoking, and even learn how to lower stress. (I dunno, maybe start by putting down your smartphone? Just a thought.) So, in this digital age, where our lives basically fit into a device that can be put in our pockets, how can we better connect with customers?
Here are the top 3 ways an ATM can help you connect with your customers:
Building Community
One of the best ways that we can connect with our customers is through face-to-face interaction. When a customer walks through your doorway, whether or not they are intending to make a purchase, that is a sure-fire opportunity to make a personal connection. And personal connections are what it’s all about.
By placing an in-house ATM in your place of business, you are inviting foot traffic, you are inviting conversation, and you are also solving a need – the need to have cash on hand. Creating an appealing environment with a top-tier ATM will help ensure that people will use your ATM as their go-to place to get cash. And people who are in your store to access cash are more likely to spend that cash in-store, in addition to the fees that are generated from every ATM transaction.
As you develop “regulars” who come into your business to access cash (think “Norm!” from the T.V. show Cheers), over time, you’re likely to build a relationship with that person, creating an atmosphere of inclusion and community. As the saying goes, “These are the ties that bind.”
Positive messaging
There’s a lot going on in the world today. A lot. In a 2017 survey conducted by The Futures Company, National Business Group on Health, and Aon, 54% of adults that responded to the survey stated that their stress levels were unusually high.[ii]
We are constantly barraged on social media with ads telling us how we should look and what we should buy. Instagram makes us think that our lives are so much worse than the person to our right who constantly posts magazine-worthy photos… taken on a beach… at sunset. And, the constant bickering in our political system right now feeds into just about, well, everything.
So, how can you, as a business, help mitigate all of that negativity? One way is to include positive messaging on your in-house ATM. Messages of encouragement, jokes, and serene images all go a long away to helping us to remember to regroup, to laugh, and to breathe. With a simple software install, your business’ ATM can give a moment’s relief to harried customers.
New Product and Services Offerings
ATMs these days aren’t just for withdrawing cash. Your in-house ATM can perform such tasks as bill paying, money transfers, and check deposits. Having a one-stop-shop for banking within your business will appeal to customers who don’t want to wait in line at their financial institution. And anything you can do to make the lives of your customers easier is a good thing, indeed.
Customers also want to be in the know. If you have a new product or service that you’re offering, you can market that product on your ATM screen or with signage on your ATM. Keep your customers informed while they visit your machine to withdraw cash.
With our society constantly on the go, connecting with customers isn’t just important for the financial benefits that result from nurturing your clientele, it’s important on a humanistic level as well. We all need connection. Creating that kind of environment, even with a simple ATM install, is one way that your business can reach out the community around you.
[i] Statista. (February 19, 2019). Number of smartphone users in the United States from 2010 to 2023 (in millions)* [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 18, 2019
[ii] Aon. (March 29, 2017). Share of respondents who stated their stress level is usually high in the United States from 2012 to 2017 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 18, 2019
