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The Avannis Journey

After a decade of working with larger financial institutions, the Avannis leadership team struck out on a journey to level the playing field for everyone.

History

Our History

A CX vision for community banking

The Avannis leadership team got their start working for regional and national banks, developing comprehensive research and reporting solutions.  During one visit to a large banking client we observed every wall of every cubicle covered with WOW! Items – little cards with quotes from customers about the outstanding service that team members had provided.  These small tokens of recognition had become a central driver to the service culture, and it was clear how proud each team member was of the recognition they had received.

As we presented an in-depth and expensive statistical analysis requested by the bank, we were hard-pressed to see how the items discussed in the presentation could be more effective than what we had just seen on the floor.  Simple but effective, our ability to identify unique and special experiences (both good and bad) was having a huge impact on the employee, the customer, and the institution’s bottom line.

We recognized that not all financial institutions could commission complex marketing analyses, but anyone could develop a service culture if members and customers can be connected to the team members who serve them.  Based on this concept, in 2007 we launched Avannis with the following goal:

Leveling the playing field for smaller financial institutions – large bank solutions and service levels scaled for community banking.

Stepping up to the challenge

After the 2008 economic downturn, many financial institutions turned to online feedback hoping for significant savings.  For Credit Unions and community banks, however, there were significant barriers, including difficulty accessing volume discounts, low response rates, reporting tools that didn’t align with the industry, and the cost of managing the program in house.

Avannis’ response was to partner with industry-leading online survey providers to bring their services to community banks and credit unions at the same volume rates offered to large banks.  We also innovated an approach to collecting data called “Just a Conversation” that is more personal, fits better with local banking culture, and has a higher response rate for low-volume touchpoints.

To resolve the reporting challenge, Avannis created new software from the ground up driven exclusively by feedback from our community bank and credit union clients.  At its center is the tool’s ability to display feedback for each manager, branch and team, customized to the client’s organization structure.

A CX partner, not just data

As we worked with our early clients, we recognized that many were a 1 or 2 person shop without much background in CX and needed more than just data collection services.  We set to work developing regression-sourced question sets that we knew would drive loyalty and satisfaction.  From that groundwork, industry benchmarks evolved, allowing our clients to compare themselves to others.  Additionally, we decided that if we really wanted to have an impact on CX in community banking we needed to share our learnings without added cost to our clients.  We continue to do that today as we offer our benchmarks and regular client consultations at no additional cost.

Service that connects

As the digital revolution grew, companies began looking for ways to reduce contact through automation.  Credit Union members and community bank customers, however, continued to value the personal connection they had with their financial institutions.  Avannis felt it would be sadly ironic if we didn’t offer the same kind of personal connection to our clients.  We decided to ensure that each client had a direct line to a dedicated project manager who always picked up the line without any intervening menus, and always responded to messages within a couple of hours.  We developed a set of service standards that put our clients first and let them know we cared.

Managed Growth

With these elements in place, Avannis has achieved consistent year-over-year growth since our humble beginning in 2007. Our intentionally managed growth pace ensures our clients continue to receive the high level of service they have come to expect from us.

Read for yourself what banks are saying about Avannis

The software is top notch and easy to use, but what really separates Avannis from its competitors is the support we receive from its team.  The folks at Avannis are quick, knowledgeable and proactive, while their knowledge of financial services is unlike anything I’ve experienced within my two decades in banking.

Joe Bartolotta
Chief Marketing Officer
Salem Five Bank, Salem MA

Avannis has been a trusted partner of German American since 2017.  Their customer service is amazing!  They are proactive, sharing best practices and suggesting additional services that could help us improve and succeed!

Terri Eckerle

German American

VP, Executive Admin and Strategic Customer Service
Jasper, IN

Working with Avannis has provided us with measurable customer satisfaction and service performance scores. The customer feedback has helped us improve our digital banking services and product cross-sells.  Avannis has also helped us uncover customer issues and resolve the issue before it becomes a bigger problem.

Kelly Stephenson
SVP Chief Retail Banking Officer
Security Federal Savings Bank
Logansport, IN

We are really benefiting from the surveys and getting huge value from Avannis.  We greatly appreciate this partnership!

C.J. Littrell
EVP, Chief Operating Officer
TCM Bank, N.A.
Tampa, FL

Avannis has been a fantastic partner in building our customer experience survey program. Their research-based approach and deep industry knowledge has been invaluable, and Emily’s guidance and expertise has been exceptional as we continue to mature our program.

Steph Melgaard
SVP, Retail Banking Director
Border Bank, Fargo ND

We could not more be more pleased with the planning, coordination and execution of our membership survey. Emily and team guided us through the entire process and we were pleasantly surprised at how easy-to-use and actionable the survey portal was for our team.

Kevin Tweddle
Senior Executive Vice President,
Community Bank Solutions
Independent Community Bankers of America
Washington, DC
Testimonials
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