How to enable commercial bankers to be more effective trusted advisors

Several challenges, ranging from inefficient processes and disparate technology to misaligned incentives and skills gaps, have historically hindered both commercial banks’ ability to deliver a true client-centric go-to-market approach and bankers’ effectiveness. As both clients and banks look to maximize the value of their mutual relationship, banker enablement transformation has become a board-level imperative. Banks that invest in this transformation will benefit from more productive, insight-driven bankers, higher revenue velocity and stronger client loyalty.

In line with this, commercial banks are actively pursuing efforts to improve client centricity while also increasing banker productivity. Such efforts include shifting from product-focused sales to consultative solutions-based approaches, automating banker workflows to free up banker capacity and leveraging technology and data and analytics to identify and provide bankers with client insights and leads. Yet, one common thread we have observed across the industry is the siloed and somewhat disconnected way these efforts are being planned and executed, which ultimately leads to banks failing to fully capitalize on the underlying opportunity. We believe there is a need for commercial banks to boost client-centric growth through the pursuit of a cohesive and holistic banker enablement strategy that brings together and properly aligns efforts across multiple dimensions.

This article outlines the EY perspective on a forward-looking holistic framework toward strategic banker enablement transformation through three interlocking pillars:

1. Freeing banker capacity to focus on high-value client engagement
2. Transforming sales approach and behaviours from transactional to strategic
3. Enhancing the banker toolset with technology and insights that drive action, not just information

The opportunity is real and sizable. The question is: how quickly and effectively can you move?

Boosting client-centric banker productivity through strategic banker enablement

The pressure on corporate, commercial and SME front-line bankers has never been greater: clients expect tailored advice and solutions while line of business leadership pushes for higher deal origination and cross-sell targets. At the same time, bankers are still working with fragmented tools, manual processes and outdated sales models. As a result, our research shows that bankers today spend up to 50% of their time on non-client-facing activities and sales conversations often prioritize immediate tactical needs, causing strategic client signals based on where they are in their lifecycle phase to be missed. 

The banker enablement mission is clear: empower front-line talent to operate at peak performance in a client-centric manner, with increased productivity and at a lower cost to serve. This requires a multipronged, synchronized strategic approach to reduce administrative burdens, upskilling employees to lead strategic conversations and empowering them with actionable insights.

1. Freeing banker capacity to drive growth

The reality today: bankers are overburdened. Administrative tasks, duplicative handoffs between teams and system inefficiencies are eroding client-facing time. The lack of a cohesive digital workspace exacerbates the challenge.

Where to focus: