Front-line employees yearn to be told they still have a critical role to play, as more customers are seeking in-person help amid the pandemic.

Consumers who have felt betrayed by banks are more likely to turn to mobile apps that give them a greater sense of financial control. Bankers must reconnect with these people and reassure them that their personalized advice is safe and valuable.

In these uncertain times, strengthening relationships with clients is the one thing front-line bankers can control.

The events of this year transformed banking, for better or worse. Smart bankers will build on the ways they learned to do their jobs better.

Managers have been trained on how to resolve conflicts with customers. They can use that training to minimize intraoffice political squabbling.

Whether it was their nimble shift to digital, or willingness to interact in new ways with customers in branches, bank employees have met head-on the business challenges posed by the outbreak.

Laughter in the workplace helps boost employee morale, something critically needed in 2020.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced some branches to close, but demand for in-person advice remains strong.

Helping their customers adjust to digital banking and pay crushing bills are just a couple of ways community bankers are reaching out.

Digital banking has ramped up during the coronavirus lockdown but customers will seek somewhere to go as cities reopen. A branch could provide that safe haven.