When Comerica Bank wanted to create resource for small business banking customers, they leaned on their longtime partnership with the experience experts at Adrenaline
Small businesses are a primary source of economic growth, representing 44% of gross domestic product and employing 46% of all American workers, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. While most business leaders report they’re satisfied with their bank, many financial institutions are missing out on rich opportunities to deepen their relationships with business leaders in their communities. Banks and credit unions are often quick to capitalize on prospects for traditional banking services, like depository accounts and business lending, but truly serving these engines of economic growth means cultivating connections in spaces designed with the specialized needs of businesses in mind.
Better Small Business Banking
One regional bank has developed a tailored business banking format for a fast-growing Texas market. Comerica’s BusinessHQ in Dallas is the embodiment of the bank’s customized approach – a small business community resource center that provides everything a burgeoning business needs. “The bank’s business hub gives small business owners no-cost office and meeting space, access to capital providers, business counsel, networking opportunities, and more,” according to DallasNews coverage. These services are available to “high-need, high-opportunity small business owners.” In addition to office essentials, the center has unique offerings like a studio setup for content creators and specialized tools for learning and development.
Partnering with Adrenaline, Comerica sought design concepts that could be flexible enough to implement across their network as demand, space and budget would allow. The brand experience company conducted customer experience research for the Dallas pilot and evaluated how additional real estate or square footage could be leveraged in a way that deepens relationships with business leaders in the community and enhances Comerica’s brand equity with this key demographic. The goal was to create an experience that provided added value to their business banking customers and was responsive to market needs.
Comerica’s BusinessHQ is being piloted in this growing market, with expectations to roll out the format to multiple markets in the future. The business center successfully positions the bank as an innovator and leader for the small business community by providing a space that empowers growth, cultivates networking connections and centralizes resources in a flexible environment that meets a variety of needs for productivity, collaboration and education. The office space provides convenient, reserved access to conference or office space for entrepreneurs and small business owners to host clients or meetings within a Comerica retail branch.
According to Dallas News, “It’s a program unlike any other with real, tangible value – entrepreneurs save on operating costs and can reinvest those saved dollars into their companies.” Comerica designed BusinessHQ to meet every day needs and help small businesses start, scale, and succeed. “Access to no-cost coworking and education is invaluable for small businesses looking to grow and allows these businesses to take these often costly expenses and pour that back into their business,” says Dezaree Greene, a small business banker for Comerica. “Building relationships with internal capital partners, other small businesses and financial experts is essential when starting or growing a business.”
To learn more about designing and piloting new branch formats, or to speak with one of Adrenaline’s brand-to-branch experts, contact us today.
Adrenaline is an end-to-end brand experience company serving the financial industry. We move brands and businesses ahead by delivering on every aspect of their experience across digital and physical channels, from strategy through implementation. Our multi-disciplinary team works with leadership to advise on purpose, position, culture, and retail growth strategies. We create brands people love and engage audiences from employees to customers with story-led design and insights-driven marketing; and we design and build transformative brand experiences across branch networks, leading the construction and implementation of physical spaces that drive business advantage and make the brand experience real.
