Hamburger Sparkasse Launches “Branch of the Future” with Scala and Pilot Screen Time

Goal: Create a relevant, engaging and adaptable communications platform to better serve customers across the bank’s 100 branches.

Using digital signage and an easy-to-use content management system, Hamburger Sparkasse wanted to reinvent their customer communications and allow for messages to be created, scheduled and shown from headquarters or in local branches.

Challenge: To allow content to be created and shared in a variety of locations to serve Hamburger Sparkasse customers across all branches and at a hyper-local, branch-specific level. 

The solution needed to allow communications messages to be created by team members based in bank headquarters as well as in individual branches. Any technological solution would have to work seamlessly across branches and be easy for staff regardless of where they were based. Messages created from different sources would need to be served consistently to in-store screens as well as customers’ personal devices. There was also a desire from Hamburger Sparkasse to be able to monitor the effectiveness of the digital content, allowing them to refine their communication strategy and better serve customers.

Working with Scala, a full solutions partner, to create an easy to use, integrated system which allows messages to be created, scheduled and displayed from a variety of locations. Scala provided and fitted all digital screens and tablets within bank branches, working with the bank team to coordinate installation to ensure disruption to bank operations was at a minimum. Scala created the content management and editing system and, working with Scala Certified Partner, Pilot Screentime, created an easy-to-use editing tool and trained Hamburger Sparkasse team members on how to create, edit and schedule content. The installed solution also included Quividi attention tracking software on the digital display screens to provide key analytics on the effectiveness of scheduled content so messaging could be optimised in real-time.

Integrated, responsive digital content design, scheduling and display system. In the three years since implementation, 45000 Messages from 96 branches have been created and displayed (an average of three messages per week per branch). It is estimated that 72 million customer contacts have been made with plans for more digital touchpoints to be installed.

With an easy-to-use interface, the content creation and scheduling tool received high staff engagement from day one. Approximately 45,000 messages have been created and scheduled across the bank’s 96 branches in the three years of implementation. Across the installed 600 screens (including tablets), it is estimated that 72 million contacts with customers have occurred with more screens set to be fitted moving forward. 

Generating and distributing marketing communications is now predominantly done across the digital screens minimising waste and saving money on printing and distribution. The integration of the Quividi tracking tools means that the impact of each communication could be assessed and used to create even more effective messaging strategies moving forward.