By The Missouri Independent Bankers Association
Name: Danielle Kincaid Title: Electronic Banking Officer
Bank Name: The Bank of Versailles
Whether learning how a piece of software works or helping a customer, I live by the phrase, “there are no stupid questions.” The only way to get to the root of an issue or better educate yourself and others is to empower people to ask questions. This is also important, to me, to impress upon our customers. If they don’t understand a charge or how our mobile banking app works, it’s my job to help them feel comfortable asking.
Where are your main bank and branches located? What is the market like?
Our main bank is in Versailles, Missouri, just north of the Lake of the Ozarks. We have branches along the west side of the Lake, in Laurie, Sunrise Beach and Greenview. These locations allow us to serve a diverse group of people. Versailles is a small, rural town surrounded by family farms and small businesses, but the Lake area is populated with young families, people who live full-time in Kansas City and St. Louis and throughout the Midwest who have a second home in the Lake area, and retirees starting the next chapter of their lives.What is something unique about your bank?
In the one 138-year history of The Bank of Versailles, we have never sold our loans on the secondary market and have no plans to in the future. It is important for us to offer personal service to our customers from their loan application through their last payment. Relationships are the core of our business, and our customers appreciate being able to visit with a familiar face when they have questions or need to make changes.How did you get started in the banking business?
About three years after I moved to Missouri from New England, I started helping my husband with business plans and bookkeeping, which led to meeting the president of The Bank of Versailles, Dave Baumgartner. When a position came open in our Laurie location, he called me up and offered me the job as a teller. It was a great way to learn all the cogs and gears of the machine from the ground up, while still giving me the one-on-one interaction with customers that I enjoy. Through the years, my position and job duties have changed, but customer service is still my No. 1 priority and one of my favorite aspects of the industry.What is the most important thing you’ve learned from this career so far?
This is a tough question, but if I must choose one, I will say the most important thing I have learned to date is: never underestimate the importance of asking questions. Whether learning how a piece of software works or helping a customer, I live by the phrase, “there are no stupid questions.” The only way to get to the root of an issue or better educate yourself and others is to empower people to ask questions. This is also important, to me, to impress upon our customers. If they don’t understand a charge or how our mobile banking app works, it’s my job to help them feel comfortable asking. With education comes independence, and there are few things in life I value over independence.Tell us about the bank’s community investment efforts.
We have a lot of fun when it comes to giving back to and investing in our community. Our main bank staff has fundraisers throughout the year. There are chicken wing contests where you pay per vote, craft fairs and an infamous Halloween Trick-Or-Treat auction where all the items are wrapped, and no one can peek. These have become traditions we look forward to, and at the end of every year, the bank matches what we raise, and the donations are spread throughout the community at Christmas time.We also work with the Morgan County R-II School District to encourage financial literacy in our youth. Once a year, we meet with the fourth grade students to talk about earning money and hit the highlights of what goes into running a business. The children always have great questions, and the experience leaves a positive impression on me every time. On the other end of the spectrum, we visit the high school’s personal finance class to discuss digital finances (everything from debit cards and mobile wallets to the importance of complicated passwords) and the effect credit report scans have in your life. We also sponsor financial literacy software from Banzai for the district and the neighboring Morgan County R-I district as well.
What is the bank’s biggest challenge in the area of internet banking and mobile banking?
I believe our biggest challenge with internet and mobile banking is educating our customers about all the different products and features we have and the level of security we offer. Many assume that because we are a small community bank, we cannot or do not offer many of the products and features the big banks offer or that using their smartphone, mobile device, or computer isn’t safe at all.As with most community banks, we make customer service a top priority and can rely on the close relationships we have with our customers to educate them one-on-one so they feel comfortable utilizing the convenient tools we offer. Our staff knows the importance of balancing an increase in customer adoption to our internet and mobile banking platforms with the level of personalized service our customers expect and deserve.
What’s your favorite thing about your bank/banking in general?
My favorite thing about banking in general is there is always something to learn. Whether it is regulation changes, process adjustments or new technology, bankers are continually pivoting, learning and problem-solving. My favorite thing about my bank, specifically ties directly to these educational needs. My management team has supported me every time I have wanted to increase my understanding of a subject or tackle something completely new. With their encouragement, I have tripled my certifications in the last three years and will continue to be offered the freedom to find new opportunities to better myself as an employee and banker in the future.If you didn’t have a career in banking, what other career would you choose?
If my time being a banker came to an end tomorrow, I would love to get back to working with horses. Growing up in New England, I rode and competed for over a decade in small, local shows. There are few loves that can compare to the love between a young girl and her horse. Much of my work ethic and determination was developed in a barn, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. For a brief time, before I left for college, I even had the opportunity to teach riding lessons, and I would love to do that again. Learning and working with a large variety of personalities (human and equine alike) is humbling and fulfilling.
