PNC Uses Technology to Spot Potential Defectors

PNC Financial Services Group's reliance on technological innovation and integration has given the bank a distinct footprint in the marketplace and an edge in detecting possible customer abdications, according to speakers at the Goldman Sachs Large Cap Bank CEO Conference recently held in New York.

"We believe it PNC's technology strategy delivers a differential capability for our customers, as well as economies of scale for ourselves," said James E. Rohr, chairman and chief executive officer of The PNC Financial Services Group.

PNC aspires for 6 percent to10 percent growth in its banking businesses over the next three to five years. "We have the size and scale in these businesses to compete with our natural competitors," said Rohr.

PNC, with the 8th largest ATM network in the U.S., has a call center that handles 140,000 calls per day. Furthermore, these channels are tied into the branch. "We've Web-enabled all of our 700-plus branches, so that the customer gets a seamless experience wherever they talk to us," said Rohr. "That's one of the reasons we've been successful in the marketplace."

One of the benefits to tying together channels is the ability to spot likely defectors. "We built a scoring system that tells all of our retail employees when a person has a higher probability to leave the bank," said Rohr. "They can actually take action on that."

That's not to say technology's everything in banking. "The best technology in the country can't help you unless you have good people," said Rohr. "We've invested in our team significantly. We've achieved some of the highest employee satisfaction we've ever had."