Chambers Bank: A Transformation Across Every Facet

“The fact that DBSI has taken so long to understand us, to understand our brand, to form a relationship with us that’s really built on trust is a big thing for me. Also, how responsive DBSI is as far as understanding our needs and not just giving us cookie cutter solutions.” 

-Lori Walker, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Chambers Bank

Chambers Bank, a family-owned financial institution established in 1930, holds high standards for great customer service. As a community bank headquartered in Danville, Arkansas with 24 branches throughout the rest of the state, they take pride in giving Arkansans the ability to “bank with people you know,” and they strive to provide a first name basis experience.

While their service has always been exceptional, before their transformation, Chambers Bank modeled more traditional branches, which still had teller lines, confining offices, static and printed signage, and an aesthetic that detracted from the welcoming, and friendly experience their staff delivered.

Being the community and relationship centered financial institution that they are, they knew they wanted more accessibility for their customers, a way to enhance the experience in their institution, and a more streamlined space for their staff.

After seeing the transformation of a neighboring bank (that DBSI completed), Chambers felt the pressure to transform their space—they weren’t going to wait any longer to start falling behind. After visiting, the Chambers leadership was blown away by the attention to detail in the design and how the brand was enforced throughout this branch. They admired that everything was customer-focused and that there was a strategy behind the design, which set their staff up for success.

The decision for Chambers to transform their branches, and who to do it with, was easy, and that’s when the relationship between DBSI and Chambers Bank was born.

And while the relationship began with a branch design-build, since 2019, DBSI has helped Chambers achieve multiple initiatives, including:

• Designing and building branches
  
• Implementing cash automation devices
  
• Rolling-out digital signage across the branch network
  
• And even upgrading their website and digital marketing programs

A Retail-Focused Design-Build

Chambers Bank was ready to build a new branch and they wanted a complete transformation, but with a design that still resembled who they were—a casual community bank that cares about the financial success of their customers.

DBSI worked with the Chambers team to create a design that encapsulates who they are, staying in tune with the brand and keeping a relaxed, yet trustworthy and community-focused feel throughout the space.

The design elements featured were strategically thought out to captivate anyone who walks through their doors. 

• Teller Tower: Implemented to replace the traditional teller lines, teller towers create a more open look and encourage collaborative conversations between associates and staff.
• Flexible workstation: Incorporated in the design to give clients a private area for both virtual and in-person advisory-level conversations with banking experts.
• Private glass offices: Installed to create a welcoming low-pressure environment, and wood-framed digital screens to transform a simple piece of technology into a visually pleasing element. 
• Branding: The perfect touch of their green brand color integrated throughout to create brand recognition, even in the little details, like the green bar light above the conference table.

The technology elements featured included:

• Digital signage: Taking advantage of a high-traffic area, DBSI installed a set of promotional screens facing the entire lobby to display content that communicates what makes Chambers unique and promotes its products and services. To add a warm touch, DBSI also implemented a single screen in their lobby that shares community-based content, such as client success stories. And, of course, an interactive touchscreen built into a millwork kiosk at the entryway to engage clients as soon as they walk through the door.  
  
• Teller Cash Recyclers: Chambers knew that to give their customers the experience they wanted them to have, not only did they need to upgrade their space, but their technology as well. That’s why DBSI installed teller cash recyclers in their new space, which process transactions more quickly and efficiently and free up staff for more advisory-level questions, making a key difference in branch experience.

A Hand-On Cash Automation Experience

How did Chambers know what equipment was right for them? With the help of DBSI’s partnerships with Hyosung and CFM, the process of adopting this tech was seamless. With one trip to the Hyosung Experience Center, the team was able to identify what hardware was right, and even discuss core integration—a process that would typically take multiple steps.

“The time spent at Hyosung Experience Center really let me see first-hand how the implementation of cash recyclers could help support the new branch design, as well as future branches,” said Lori Walker, CMO of Chambers Bank, “and having DBSI there with me really allowed me to feel confident that they were my partner in both design and technology.”

A Network-Wide Digital Signage Conversion

After witnessing the power of digital signage in one branch and with an urge to upgrade its other branches quickly, DBSI took digital signage across Chambers Bank’s branch network in 2021.

This included:

• Selection, strategic placement, and installation of hardware: DBSI reviewed the existing branches in the network and identified the different types of signage that would work best in each, where they would best be placed, and acquired and installed the hardware across the network.
• Content management software set-up and training: In order to manage all content across all locations, DBSI helped Chambers onboard a content management system that was cloud-based and easy to use.
• Content creation and development: To ensure the signage was engaged with, DBSI created a completely custom content program for each screen, at each branch, focused on Chambers Bank’s initiatives.
• Interactive staff training: Interactive screens are much more than self-service kiosks and not utilizing them to their full potential can be a common problem which makes a powerful piece of equipment feel useless. That’s why we trained their staff to use the interactive screens in a more advisory manner, such as guided customer education, onboarding, and much more.

A Tailored Marketing Approach

The strategic partnership between DBSI and Chambers Bank didn’t stop after their branches were transformed.

At one of many visits together, Chambers Bank expressed their struggles with marketing and the need for more bandwidth. It was apparent that Chambers Bank needed help with its marketing efforts, and that's when DBSI stepped in with the expertise to drive content.

The partnership between DBSI's digital marketing program and Chambers has been ongoing for two years, and the scope of the relationship has continued to see growth due to continued results.

Projects we’ve completed together include:

• Website Revamp–To match their newly transformed spaces, Chambers was ready to update their digital presence. DBSI redesigned the entire website, partnering with Chambers Bank’s development team to bring the site live in under 3 months.
• Content Program–To drive more traffic to their transformed physical and digital spaces, DBSI and Chambers worked together to create an inbound marketing program that included content creation for both social media and blogs. DBSI strategizes, writes, and publishes all this content for Chambers. Quick brag: One single social media campaign generated over 200 positive online reviews!
• Onboarding & Retention Programs–DBSI created a 6-month drip campaign that included emails, mailers, and in-branch offers to welcome new clients.

Conclusion

Since our first encounter in 2019, Chambers Bank and DBSI have partnered on every facet of their transformation. It all started with design-build, and as their needs continued to grow, DBSI was there along the way with a holistic approach. And the future plans are even greater.

DBSI takes a holistic approach, and Chambers’ story is the perfect example of how DBSI offers comprehensive solutions based on client’s needs.

Let’s bring your transformation to life!

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Send an email to info@dbsi-inc.com

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