Net Check In
Transforming How the World Waits

It makes sense that financial institutions should push for more advanced customer-facing technologies and offer a great customer experience to stay competitive. Customers have grown accustomed to mobility and flexibility of services in most areas of their lives, and they expect the same when dealing with financial institutions. But reality is that banking hasn’t kept up with certain aspects of service innovation. Customers are still expected to wait in long lines at a branch office for service. Waiting in line is the most dreaded part of the service experience and has the biggest impact on customer satisfaction.

For institutions that look to improve their brand reputation by creating value through transforming customer journeys, Innovative Computer Software (ICS) offers a smart solution that helps companies serve their clients in an efficient and personalized manner. The company’s proprietary software, Net Check In, revolutionizes the way customers wait for services at hair salons, banks, hospitals, restaurants, express automobile services, DMVs, college admission offices, and anywhere there are lines for walk-up services. In this interview with CIO Applications, Jim Alviani, Director of Sales and Marketing, Innovative Computer Software (ICS), shares his valuable insights about Net Check In and its applications in the banking sector.

What are some of the trends that you see in the Banking Tech Solution space this year, and how is Net Check In planning to leverage these trends and evolve?

Long queues plague every industry, and the banking sector is no exception. As the financial services space is highly competitive, it is essential to ensure seamless customer service. Customers who visit a bank are on a mission to complete their transactions as fast as possible and carry on with their day’s activities. For that reason, financial institutions seeking to remain competitive are adopting digital platforms and solutions to provide exceptional service and overcome operational limitations.

In your interactions with leading companies, what sense do you get of the challenges they face now, and how is Net Check In effectively addressing these issues?

One of the formidable challenges financial institutions face is to provide a unique customer experience that has a lasting impact. They search for solutions that help customers conduct business transactions quickly and efficiently. Unfortunately, most solutions are complex and difficult to implement, and require a significant IT investment.

Net Check In is a simple and easy-to-implement solution that addresses one of the biggest service issues banks experience….long wait times. Net Check In enables customers to check-in online to a virtual queue and wait for service wherever they want (at home, at work, in a park, or even at a restaurant) instead of waiting in long queues at bank counters. Net Check In gives customers visibility to current wait times at the various branch locations so they can determine the most convenient location to complete their financial transactions. The solution helps banks balance demand across locations and reduce peak loads by shifting demand to less busy times of the day. Net Check In also provides metrics and data analytics to help banks gain valuable insights to operations.

Ease of implementation and reliability of our service is what sets us apart. Net Check In is a cloud-based SaaS platform that doesn’t require proprietary hardware or on-site servers to be installed. There are no software maintenance agreements or contracts. Net Check In is a monthly subscription and customers can cancel at any time (but they don’t).

We provide a turn-key solution that can be customized for specific business requirements. The service includes a custom-branded app, map, kiosk, and lobby display and there are no upfront costs to the customer. The system is highly scalable and currently supports more than 5,000 companies and 10 million users with over 4 million check-ins monthly. We have an impressive 99.99+% uptime service level and provide 24/7 phone support with US-based live agents who answer calls within 30 seconds.

How does Net Check In work?

Net Check In’s innovative software works in three ways. First, a patented algorithm and artificial intelligence calculate accurate wait-time estimates based on the various services and resources available at each branch location. Net Check In posts those real-time estimates on the bank’s website and in their custom app to help customers determine the most convenient location for service. Secondly, Net Check In enables the customer to check-in online to a virtual queue using their mobile phone, tablet, or desktop. This solution offers ultimate mobility and flexibility, enabling customers to wait for service wherever they want. Finally, the software updates and notifies the customer on their current status in the queue so they can gauge when it’s time to make their way to the facility.

Could you please cite one or two case studies on how you have enabled clients to overcome hurdles and attain desired outcomes with Net Check In?

A community Credit Union with five branch offices in a major metro city deployed Net Check In to reduce wait times, enhance the customer experience, improve customer retention, and attract new customers. Net Check In developed a solution specifically for the Credit Union, which included the full array of services such as a customized map on their website, a custom white-labeled app for mobile online check-in, plusa kiosk and wait-list display in each lobby.

Posting wait-times on the map resulted in customers naturally flowing to locations with the shortest wait or to non-peak times of the day, which helped balance the workload across all operations. Net Check In also enabled the Credit Union to identify the customer’s service needs prior to their arrival, and allocate specialized resources accordingly, avoiding the need to staff more personnel at some locations while employees at other locations sit idle. Additionally, Net Check In provided metrics and data analytics to help identify potential opportunities to enhance operational procedures. The result was the Credit Union achieved significant improvement in work flow processes across all functions of their business including account openings, loan applications, loan closings, IRA services, wire transfers, debit and credit card services, and notary. On-site wait times were reduced by 82% (customers rarely wait more than 5 minutes), and customer satisfaction soared from 3.7 to 4.5 stars. Social media postings improved and customer referrals grew by 21%. An unforeseen by-product was that employee pride in service improved and employee satisfaction and retention increased to an all-time high.

Could you walk me through your company’s journey toward achieving success?

Innovative Computer Software (ICS) was founded in 1985 and has been consistently growing and innovating for more than 34 years. ICS is privately held with headquarters in Minneapolis, MN. ICS is a software developer and go-to solution provider with technical expertise in finding innovative ways to connect people with services in a variety of industries including hair care, banking, healthcare, automotive services, education, government, and retail. The Net Check In (NCI) business unit was established in 2011 and has experienced great success. Our mission is to “transform how the world waits TM ”. We understand that time is valuable, so we created a way to avoid wasting it. Net Check In is rated number 1 in queue management solutions, is trusted by 5,000+ customers, has 10M+ users worldwide, and more than 4M check-ins per month.