New Report Exposes Hybrid Banking Maturity Gap: 76% Claim Integration, Yet 61% Struggle with Staffing Forecasts

A new research report from Coconut Software, developed in partnership with Future Branches Insights, uncovers a significant maturity gap in the hybrid banking strategies of financial institutions. The report, titled Branch Forward: How Financial Institutions Are Investing in Technology, Scheduling, and the Future of CX, is based on a study of 100 senior leaders from banks and credit unions across the U.S. and Canada, and reveals that while the majority of institutions believe they have integrated their physical and digital channels, their operational capabilities lag behind.

According to the findings, 76% of financial institutions claim they deliver an integrated hybrid banking experience, yet only 3% describe their maturity as truly "intelligent" or "optimized." This disconnect is further underscored by the fact that 61% frequently struggle to forecast staffing requirements to meet customer demand, with an additional 38% experiencing this challenge occasionally. This operational gap poses a critical challenge as banks and credit unions strive to enhance branch performance and customer experience.

The report highlights that financial institutions are increasingly turning to AI and scheduling infrastructure to bridge this gap. More than half (56%) of respondents indicated they are already implementing AI in specific departments or workflows, while 22% are scaling AI institution-wide. Additionally, over half have formal investment plans for AI-driven scheduling and intelligent advisor matching (58% each), and demand forecasting (53%) within the next 18 months. These investments signal a recognition that AI can play a pivotal role in addressing staffing and operational inefficiencies.

Furthermore, the research points to a fundamental shift in how scheduling is perceived within the industry. No longer viewed merely as an operational function, scheduling is now seen as a driver of revenue and branch performance. Notably, 54% of respondents said that appointment conversion value, or revenue per appointment, is the scheduling metric they are most focused on improving, while 38% ranked conversion optimization as their top business priority over the next 12 months.

Katherine Regnier, CEO of Coconut Software, emphasized the importance of moving beyond channel integration to focus on purposeful interactions. "Financial institutions have made significant progress connecting physical and digital banking, but the next stage of maturity isn't about adding more channels—it's about making every interaction more purposeful and productive," she said. "That requires institutions to better predict demand, connect the right people in the right place at the right time, and tie every interaction to clear outcomes. The institutions that solve that operational layer will be best positioned to turn hybrid banking into a true growth engine."

The report also reveals that 55% of institutions prefer a best-of-breed, integration-first vendor strategy over vendor consolidation, and that when funding new technology, 65% consider strategic alignment as one of the two most important factors, while 42% cite customer impact metrics such as NPS and CSAT. Additionally, 46% rank total cost of ownership as the most important factor in build-vs-buy technology decisions.

Designed for operations, retail banking, customer experience, and digital transformation leaders, the report offers data-backed insights into AI adoption, workforce planning, scheduling maturity, technology investment, and the future of branch performance. To explore the full findings and benchmark your institution's approach, download the Branch Forward report.