A new research report from Coconut Software, developed in partnership with Future Branches Insights, exposes a significant disconnect between how financial institutions perceive their hybrid banking capabilities and their actual operational maturity. The report, titled 'Branch Forward: How Financial Institutions Are Investing in Technology, Scheduling, and the Future of CX,' is based on a survey of 100 senior leaders from banks and credit unions across the U.S. and Canada.
While 76% of respondents say they deliver an integrated hybrid banking experience, only 3% describe their maturity as truly 'intelligent' or 'optimized.' This gap is further highlighted by the finding that 61% frequently struggle to forecast staffing requirements to meet customer demand, with another 38% facing this challenge occasionally. This indicates a critical operational gap as institutions aim to improve branch performance.
The report also underscores a rapid uptake in AI integrations. More than half (56%) of respondents are already implementing AI in specific departments or workflows, while 22% are scaling AI institution-wide. Additionally, 58% have formal investment plans for AI-driven scheduling and intelligent advisor matching, and 53% plan to invest in demand forecasting within the next 18 months.
There is a fundamental shift in how scheduling is perceived: from a back-office function to a revenue driver. 54% of respondents said appointment conversion value is the scheduling metric they are most focused on improving, and 38% ranked conversion optimization as their top business priority over the next year. Other key findings include that 55% favor a best-of-breed, integration-first vendor strategy, and 65% say strategic alignment is one of the two most important factors when funding new technology.
Katherine Regnier, CEO of Coconut Software, comments, '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. 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 report is designed for operations, retail banking, customer experience, and digital transformation leaders, offering data-backed insights into AI adoption, workforce planning, scheduling maturity, and technology investment. For more details, the full report can be downloaded at coconutsoftware.com.
