Sovereign Spruces Up Web Site To Expedite Info Delivery

To better meet the needs of personal banking customers wanting an easy-to-use online experience, Philadelphia-based Sovereign Bank has launched a redesigned Web site with a variety of new features to help clients get information faster.

Prior to the redesign, the bank's site had been considered to be more of a brochure, designed to give customers basic information. The subsequent change has made the Web site more interactive and easier to navigate, according to Marianne Doran-Collins, senior vice president and director of online and affinity banking, Sovereign Bank.

"It was really difficult for customers to understand and find out more about Sovereign," she says. "The whole Web site redesign was to simplify the entire process for the customer."

The $41 billion financial institution has improved access to information on banking, loans, investment and insurance products as well as applications for those seeking to open new accounts.

"We want to improve our customer loyalty and improve their confidence in Sovereign Bank," says Doran-Collins.

Sovereign accomplished the redesign with marketing and services firm AGENCY.COM (New York) and with Tallan, Inc.(Glastonbury, Conn.), an applications and systems development services firm.

The results have been positive, according to Doran-Collins, who says that Web traffic has been up, along with an increase in application volume. The positive feedback has led Sovereign to improve on other areas as well.

But Sovereign doesn't intend to stop there. "We are working on our commercial Web site and we are looking at launching a new content management solution," she says.