Officials for First Bankcard, a division of First National Bank of Omaha and a leading issuer of credit cards, wanted to ramp up their mobile customer engagement levels. As a result, the company announced the launch of a new feature to its mobile app capabilities, offering credit card customers free access to their FICO® Scores.
This convenient option is available to all First Bankcard banking partners and co-brand partners via their respective First Bankcard mobile apps.
The app allows credit card customers to view their FICO® Scores, which is generally updated on a monthly basis, along with a graphic representation of their scores on the FICO® Score Meter. Two Key Score Factors are listed, which are the top factors that affected the score. Four FAQs are also provided, along with a link to the FICO web page where customers can see a full list of FAQs, educational videos and additional credit resources.
FICO® Score is one of many factors nearly all lenders in the U.S. consider when they make key credit decisions. Such decisions include whether to approve a credit application, what credit terms to offer and whether to increase a credit limit once a credit account is established. First Bankcard was one of the first credit card issuers in the country to partner with FICO in providing FICO® Scores for free to cardholders.
The FICO® Score mobile app feature is also available to First National Bank of Omaha’s mobile banking customers who have a credit card. First Bankcard, a division of First National Bank of Omaha, is a leader in the credit card partnership arena, serving about 400 financial institutions, co-brand and affinity partners nationwide.
First National Bank of Omaha is a subsidiary of First National of Nebraska. First National of Nebraska is the largest privately owned banking company in the United States. First National and its affiliates have $20 billion in assets and 5,000 employee associates. Primary banking offices are located in Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota, and Texas.
Loyalty360 caught up with Stephen Farrell, Senior Vice President, Consumer Product Marketing, First National Bank of Omaha, to talk about the company’s mobile app enhancements.
What factors prompted First Bankcard to launch a new feature for its mobile app, and what are your goals associated with this launch?
Our customers appreciate accessing their FICO® Scores through online banking and we recognize the importance of helping them understand their personal financial well-being. As we see more customers manage their 
accounts only from their phones, we are continually looking for ways to make the mobile experience easier and more helpful.
What does CX mean to First Bankcard and how will this launch impact the CX?
With so many great customer experiences across all types of industries, we are no longer only measured against our peers in the financial sector. The bar is constantly being raised to the benefit of the customer and only companies who understand that will continue to be successful. First Bankcard places that customer experience at the forefront of everything we do. It’s not only about selling products, but helping our customers on their financial journey. We were one of the first banks in the country to offer FICO® Scores to our customers via online banking and knew right away that including this in our mobile apps would be something our customers would appreciate.
Mobile seems to be bigger than ever now for many brands. How does First Bankcard view mobile now and its ability to enhance customer engagement?
Mobile banking started out as how to make online banking accessible from your phone, but quickly grew beyond that. Mobile banking has become so much more personal with a device that’s never out of arms’ reach. It’s not just a destination that you log-in to visit once per day, once per week, or once per month, but something that plays an integral part in your daily financial well-being. You can now check your balance on the way into the coffee shop, deposit money into your kids account, pay for your coffee and get a push notification sent to you, all from your phone and all on your way into work. Giving customers that much information and spending power, at their fingertips, 24 hours a day, creates a very engaged customer and a huge importance for First Bankcard to get it right.
What does customer loyalty mean to FB and has that definition changed or evolved in recent years?
Customer loyalty is more important now than ever. There are lots of cards people can choose to have in their wallets and you need to differentiate yourself by the services you provide. We are constantly looking for ways improve the customer experience. Whether mobile functionality, expanded rewards programs, or great features like sharing FICO® Scores, our commitment is to earn our customers’ loyalty every day.