Regional Bank Focuses on Delivering a ‘Yes and …’ Customer Experience

Banking must focus on creating secure, fraud-resistant environments while maintaining personal relationships, Tammy Trilli, SVP Commercial Payments at FNBO, writes in a new PYMNTS eBook, “The Innovation Mindset: How to Achieve It in 2025.”

FNBO’s secret sauce has always been our relationships. We are proud to be “the great big, small bank,” delivering the capabilities of a large institution while preserving the personal touch that is central to our service. We know our customers by name, and they know us. By keeping the customer at the center of everything we do, we have been able to not only retain but also grow our business, even in the face of increased competition. Customer interactions are based on relationships — not transactions — and long-term relationships are built on shared values, transparency and trust. We understand our customers’ needs because we have lived side by side with them in the communities we all call home for the past 167 years. Our strategy to deliver a holistic payment experience is the key to being a trusted partner, saying “Yes, and here’s how we can help.”

In today’s environment, a relationship built on just one product or service is fleeting. However, when you create a more comprehensive collaboration — one that spans multiple payment products and ancillary solutions — the partnership becomes much stronger and stickier. This approach helps us provide solutions that not only meet our customers’ immediate needs but also anticipate future challenges, making us an indispensable part of their business.

Fraud is an area that has been rapidly changing. The advent of advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) has enabled more sophisticated fraudulent activities and better fraud mitigation. This requires a shift in mindset where employees feel empowered to ask questions, report suspicious activities and actively engage in fraud mitigation.

Fraud prevention isn’t just about solving problems in the present; it’s about anticipating future threats and preparing accordingly. Forward-thinking leaders look ahead to the next one, five or even 10 years, planning how their organization can stay both secure and innovative. As the banking industry moves forward, the focus should be on creating secure, fraud-resistant environments while maintaining the personal relationships that make banking so much more than just numbers and technology.  We have to bring our customers along with us in the mindset shift from “no, because …” in their processes that are vulnerable to “yes, and …” to increase adoption of cutting-edge fraud prevention and mitigation tools. This “yes and …” mindset shift takes processes that they once avoided because they were an inconvenience to now a critical security strategy.

“What if?” is a question that drives FNBO’s strategy every day. As a privately held organization, we consistently think long-term: What must we do today to ensure our success a decade from now? These considerations shape decisions about efficiency, succession planning and long-term sustainability.

By embedding “what if?” thinking into our daily decisions, FNBO ensures we’re always prepared to adapt and innovate. This forward-thinking mindset, combined with our “yes, and …” approach, empowers us to remain a trusted partner in an era of unprecedented change.