Independent Banker - September 2023 - 68

CONNECTIONS TRAILBLAZER
" We're the only bank that
will bring that without an
armored car service or
that kind of fee. "
-TERESA RIOS, PRIMIS BANK
also use the app to have a cashier's
check or debit card delivered.
Although Primis created V1BE with
individuals in mind, it didn't take long
for small-business owners to jump
aboard. " Small-business customers
can replace other services that they're
using and alleviate a lot of their work
time by using V1BE, " says Rios.
Business owners now make up
about 60% of users, and they use
the service more frequently than
individuals. Many request pickups of
payments for their commercial lines
or for deposit pickups that can be set
up on a recurring basis.
" We have a pretty large group
of franchise restaurant-owner
businesses, and they tend to make
deposits daily, " Rios says. " They also
tend to have shift drop, so it ends
up being a ton of cash for them to
process and put together and carry to
the bank. "
She says one such customer quickly
bought into the idea of V1BE after
previously relying on his 83-year-old
mother to drop off deposits from his
nine locations.
Business owners can also request
change orders, like if they need a
certain amount of cash for specific
shifts. " The customer logs into their
app and they tell it, 'I need $500
in fives, $250 in tens and a box of
quarters,' and we're bringing it to
them, " says Rios. " We're the only bank
that will bring that without an armored
car service or that kind of fee. "
Primis has taken precautions to
help protect its employees. " Our
drivers are not out there blatantly
advertising this is what they're doing, "
Rios explains. " They're in regular cars
and they look like any courier. "
Also, most drivers never carry
more than a few thousand dollars at a
time, and the bank routes them to the
closest branches frequently to drop off
money they are transporting.
A valuable set of services
Zember concedes the service " has not
caused an avalanche of customers
to storm our doors and say, 'I want
it, I want it, I want it.' " But he says
there's " absolutely no question " that
the service helps attract business,
68 // ICBA Independent Banker // September 2023
especially when bankers discuss it
in face-to-face conversations with
potential customers.
According to Zember, " When
we're out talking to customers, this is
something that really evidences our
company's desire and willingness to go
the extra mile and do what we got to do
to make it convenient and improve and
protect your financial future. "
Originally viewed as a companion
app to its mobile and online offerings,
V1BE has had an interesting outcome.
While V1BE has decreased the
number of customers going to its
branches, Primis still provides the
personal touch community banks are
known for.
" [Customers] are tending to choose
to do [their banking] through V1BE
via courier, and I think personally
that it is partly because they get
the convenience of doing it on their
phone, but they still get that personal
interaction when the driver shows
up, " Rios says. " So it's almost the best
of both worlds. " 
Mindy Charski is a writer in Texas.
Photo by Matthew Rakola
Independent Banker - September 2023

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