“All Digital, All the Time”
By Marian Tison, VP, National Accounts
COVID-19’s Impact on the Financial Services Industry
COVID-19 impacted practically every aspect of business and work in unprecedented ways. As a staffing and recruiting professional in the financial services industry for more than a decade, I’ve seen a fair amount of disruption caused by recessions and other external forces, but COVID impacted our category in a very different way.
Although business continuity has been a big focus throughout the years, few had planned for a global pandemic occurring the way it did. So that has caused banks to look at the ways that workflows operate and business processes change.
More Digital Banking
As we move into the new year, a key question is whether some of the things that were implemented in 2020 will become permanent or at least continue to some degree in 2021. For banks, COVID-19 caused acceleration of a digitally driven transformation that had been underway for years. Fewer people went into branches or used ATMs, for example, opting instead for online and digital channels.
With that, there will be even more of a digital drive in 2021. Banks will continue to emphasize the user experience as more customer interactions take place via websites and applications on various mobile devices. Design skills can be applied to continuously enhance the online customer experience, which will remain in high demand. With the focus on agility and adaptability to enhance user experience, scrum masters, agile coaches, and developers who understand how to develop solutions “in small pieces” or iterations are among the other positions where we see growth in 2021. Why? Click here to listen to more.
Strong Demand for Data Analysts
In addition to these software-related positions, we also see strong demand for data analysts who can analyze customer information, digital engagement data, and make recommendations for continuous improvements to how banks meet customers’ needs. Operational roles, such as loan processing and servicing, as well as customer service positions will continue to be prominent. And all of this will take place in what will remain largely a remote working environment for the foreseeable future. Click here to listen to more.
Indeed, being flexible and comfortable with change may be the best way to sum up the mindset that’s most needed for success in the banking category in the months ahead. Here’s to a great 2021!
Marian Tison is Vice President of National Accounts at TalentBridge