Careful consideration is key to your bank remodeling project success

It's Monday morning. You just spent the weekend watching remodeling shows on cable. You've seen how an outdated restaurant with a staff of felons can be brought to salvation through a new menu and 48 hours of inspired paint and carpentry..But as you look around the bank it looks more like an episode of Hoarders than Celebrity Getaways. With all the critical investments in technology, maybe your lobby image has fallen off the radar screen (or perhaps off the table entirely)..The community banking story is one that is best told face to face. With 80 percent of new accounts being opened in branches, you have the ability to show your customers why community banking is the right choice. The opportunity is to make the most of the limited time your customers give you while in the bank..Fortunately the answer isn't developing new uses for mango salsa or hanging brightly painted shutters from your ceiling as the celebrity chef might suggest. .To find the direction for remodeling your space, ask yourself (and your key staff) the following questions:.• What do we do that our competitors don't? Asked another way, if our bank didn't exist anymore, what would people miss?.• What is the heritage of our bank, or our town?.• Does our layout encourage sharing of responsibilities (e.g. can personal bankers and tellers easily assist each other or exchange tasks)?.• Do the carpet, wall covering, ceilings and furniture support our image? (Assuming your image isn't really 1970's Scooby Doo.).• Are there potted plants in the windows of unused teller stations, while bankers are crammed in phone-booth workstations?.Customers are drawn to experiences that are memorable. There are a lot of great ways to gain efficiency and convey your bank's personality in your space. By making the effort to redesign your space, you can put your building to work for you as a marketing tool, cueing staff to say the right things and showing customers that you are the place to bring their banking needs. .Mike Kraft is a principal with HTG Architects, Minneapolis.