First National Web Site Shows Thought
by February 5, 2001 12:00 am 76 views
Springdale
www.fnbspringdale.com
It’s obvious that the folks at First National Bank & Trust put some effort into the planning for the company’s Web site. It gives First National a truly interactive Internet presence with extensive e-commerce capabilities.
A ton of good information and a variety of financial tools are available at www.fnbspringdale.com, including a link to an especially helpful tool this time of year — Quicken’s Turbo Tax.
The Turbo Tax link allows customers to file their taxes online and, if warranted, get a speedy return. A “4.0” version or higher of most browsers is needed to make it work.
Interface Computer Systems Inc. of Fayetteville, which designed the site in 1999, has directed it through two major upgrades. A pivotal moment in the site’s evolution came when the bank converted its URL from “firstnatlspdl.com” to the more discernible and memorable “fnbspringdale.com.”
The bank didn’t have traffic data available on its site. But we’re confident that this change in particular has stimulated repeat visitors.
Tools include the ability of customers to monitor their account activity, pay bills, transfer balances, make loan payments and electronic cash transfers. In cases in which a creditor is not set up to receive e-payments, the bank’s system can cut a check to send by regular mail.
Other perks are applications for the bank’s First Check cards and work sheets and questionnaires for its trust and investment products. Applications for personal loans may be filled out online, but they must be printed and either faxed or dropped by the bank. The next step will be to automate that application and approval process.
The negatives our team of reviewers came up with had more to do with the site’s aesthetics than its functionality. Two of the reviewers want the bank to lose the musical introduction and rising sun.
Another reviewer called the site dull and said the community bulletin board didn’t work like traditional online bulletin boards that allow surfers to post messages. This seems like just another way to contact the bank.
Despite not having a particularly slick look, the site took some slick planning. Customers we talked to said www.fnbspringdale.com was useful, fast and easy. We’ll just call it smart.