Ireland Bank is an Idaho-based community bank serving personal, business and agricultural banking customers. The bank is dedicated to providing its local customers with a personal touch while embracing the digital banking experiences today's consumers expect. As a smaller institution competing in an increasingly crowded financial services landscape, the bank knows that meaningful relationships and modern technology go hand in hand.

What do customers expect from their community bank’s digital experience?

Community banks face a difficult balancing act. Customers expect the same seamless, anytime-anywhere digital experience offered by the largest national banks and fintech disruptors, yet smaller institutions often lack the in-house resources to build and maintain that level of capability. According to research from MX Technologies, 57% of U.S. consumers surveyed said they were either unlikely or very unlikely to have an account with a financial provider offering a poorly rated app or bad mobile experience – making the pressure to deliver a polished digital channel higher than ever. ¹

For Heidi Hollaway, vice president and e-commerce manager at Ireland Bank, that pressure translates into a clear mandate: Ensure every digital interaction meets customer expectations.

What should community banks consider when evaluating digital banking platforms?

Today’s consumers interact with their bank through digital channels far more often than they do in person. Ireland Bank needed a digital platform that could keep pace with customer expectations, deliver consistent functionality across web and mobile, and reduce the friction that drives customers to look elsewhere.

The bank also needed a partner that would continue to evolve the platform over time, so its small team wouldn't have to chase the latest capabilities on its own.

"The customer expectation is that they can access their bank anytime, anywhere," said Heidi.

What is Digital One Flex, and why did Ireland Bank choose it?

Ireland Bank chose to be among the first adopters of FIS® Digital One™ Flex, betting on a platform built to deliver an enhanced user interface, added functionality and a unified retail and small business banking experience out of the box. For Heidi, the decision came down to advocacy and adaptability.

What benefits did Ireland Bank achieve after implementing Digital One Flex?

Ireland Bank gained immediate access to upgraded capabilities and a refreshed user experience. The biggest leap came with the Digital One Flex mobile deployment, which gave Ireland Bank customers parity between the web and mobile channels and true self-service from any device.

"Digital One Flex for mobile has undergone an incredible transformation,” Heidi said. “The biggest improvements have come with shared parity between the web and mobile experiences. Customers could self-serve in ways they couldn't before."

Just as important to Ireland Bank was the strength of the partnership with FIS. As a smaller institution, having a direct line to influence banking product road maps is important.

"A good partnership is really vital," Heidi said. "We’re a small bank, so it's really critical to have opportunities to voice concerns and also make suggestions for improvement. FIS has done a good job in that aspect."

How does FIS help community banks keep pace with national banks and fintechs?

FIS continues to invest in the Digital One Flex platform with regular enhancements, giving Ireland Bank confidence that it will always have access to the latest financial tools without the burden of building them in-house.

"I would recommend Digital One Flex because FIS is dedicated to the continuous evolution of the solution, helping ensure we always have the latest financial tools at our disposal," Heidi said.

That ongoing evolution is exactly what community banks need to stay competitive with national players and fintech challengers.

¹MX Technologies, “The Missing Link: Where Banks May Be Failing Consumers,” 2024 consumer survey of 1,000+ U.S. adults.