Long perceived as cold, functional institutions, banks today face a major challenge: recreating links, offering a genuine customer experience and instilling a culture of hospitality in their spaces and practices. In an increasingly digitalized world, the human dimension is becoming a differentiating factor. The time spent in a branch can no longer be a mere administrative formality; it must become a reassuring, clear, warm and even memorable experience.
At Delporte Hospitality, we’re convinced that the codes of hospitality can and should be applied to the banking world. Here’s how to rethink the way banks welcome customers, inspired by the principles of hospitality.
The experience begins even before you enter
The customer journey doesn’t begin inside the bank, but from the very first visual contact with the premises. The location of the branch, its visibility, its clean exterior, the clarity of its window, its signage, and even the feeling of security you get when approaching it play a major role in the customer’s state of mind.
A bank located in a pleasant environment, well integrated into the local fabric, immediately gives a positive image. From the moment you enter, everything must flow smoothly: easy-to-open door, obvious access, identified reception area, human presence. Too often, agencies are dark, sad and impersonal. The welcome begins with the light, the cleanliness, the temperature, the subtle fragrance of the place. Simple yet powerful sensory elements that build confidence.
The frame: a hospital setting for relationships
Hospitality begins with a welcoming environment. This framework must convey a sense of security, clarity andattention to detail. A bright, uncluttered space that is pleasing to the eye has a direct impact on the customer’s emotional state. Comfortable furniture, fluid organization of space, well-appointed, quiet waiting areas: everything contributes to the idea that the customer is expected and respected.
Some banks have taken their cue from the world of hotels, offering reception lounges rather than waiting rooms, complimentary drinks and confidential areas for interviews. But this is still too rare.
An embodied welcome: presence, gaze, smile
Even the most beautiful décor can never replace the human element. A successful welcome means a person who is present, visible and available, who spontaneously meets the customer, even without an appointment. You don’t have to wait for “your” advisor to feel taken care of. A simple glance, a smile, a greeting, can transform the perception of a place.
Banking staff – whether advisors, receptionists or managers – need to be trained in the codes of hospitality: to welcome as one would a guest, with kindness and professionalism.
Listening: the foundation of a trusting relationship
Successful customer relations depend on active, empathetic listening. Listening is more than just hearing a request. It means knowing how to decode expressed and unexpressed needs, paying sincere attention and asking the right questions. It also means taking the time: not giving the customer the impression that they have to hurry or that their presence is inconvenient.
The advisor needs to learn how to frame the exchange in a flexible but professional way: announce the expected duration, inform about the stages of the interview, propose a final summary. For example: “We’ve got half an hour together, let’s focus on your project, and I’ll be able to send you the missing documents within 24 hours.” This posture reassures and values the customer.
Simplicity, clarity and commitment
Too many customers feel lost in the banking jargon, complex procedures and fine print. For a quality welcome, you need to speak accessible language, explain without condescension, and never promise what you can’t deliver.
Commitment is a crucial point: if you say you’ll send a simulation within 24 hours, keep your word. Reliability, consistency and clarity strengthen the relationship of trust. A good welcome is also one that continues after the meeting, with clear follow-up and fluid communication.
Loyalty and relationship stability
Another fundamental point that is often overlooked is advisor loyalty. Changing your contact person every six months creates frustration, undermines the quality of your follow-up and prevents you from forging a lasting bond. Many banks do this today. For customers who want to think about their future, manage an estate or prepare for a handover, a stable relationship is essential.
Banks need to enhance this human continuity: enabling advisors to follow their customers over time, to get to know their history, their projects and their habits. And that’s what banking hospitality is all about: gratitude.
Training employees to be hospitable… from the inside out
At DELPORTE HOSPITALITY, we believe that hospitality begins at home. Before welcoming a customer, an employee needs to feel good about his or her role and energy. This implies working on oneself: being aware of one’s emotional state, taking a moment to refocus before opening the agency, knowing how to regulate oneself in the face of stress.
A professional who arrives exhausted or preoccupied will unwittingly pass on his or her malaise. Conversely, a consultant who has learned to listen to himself, to anchor himself, to prepare himself to meet the other, will naturally embody hospitality.
Training teams to do this means investing in a lasting, sincere and deeply human welcome.
Integrating hospitality into a digitalized itinerary
Today, a large proportion of banking transactions are carried out online. This is a natural and often welcome development. But that makes every physical interaction all the more precious.
When customers come to the branch, it’s because they need human contact, personalized support and insight that they can’t find on their mobile app. This moment must be cared for, valued and ritualized.
The challenge is to create a real relational differentiation, by putting the human touch and hospitality at the heart of customer relations, as a complement to digital tools.
Towards a new banking culture
Rethinking customer service in banks means recognizing that the value of human relations is more strategic today than ever before. It means transforming branches into places where people feel welcome, recognized, listened to and respected.
This transformation can only be achieved by mobilizing the fundamental principles of hospitality: a careful setting, an embodied welcome, a sincere listening ear, a faithful relationship and a clear commitment. These are the elements we pass on in our coaching, training and diagnostics.
With DELPORTE HOSPITALITY, we help banks integrate the codes of hotel hospitality into their day-to-day operations, and train their teams to build more human, fairer and more sustainable customer relations. Because hospitality can’t be improvised, it has to be built, cultivated and embodied.
📣 Does this message speak to you? So don’t hesitate to share it with your colleagues, your customers, young people looking for a vocation, or anyone else who might be inspired by the challenges of transmission and excellence. Together, we can get these ideas circulating, give new meaning to manual and hospitality professions, and create real vocations.
💡 If you have any ideas, needs, or would like to go further, I’d love to hear from you. I offer hospitality audits, hospitality strategies, inspirational conferences, customized training and coaching for managers and teams in the hospitality, luxury and exceptional venue sectors.
📬 So you don’t miss a thing, you can subscribe to my newsletter and receive monthly reflections, resources and concrete initiatives around generous hospitality and French know-how.
