.svg)
.svg)
The war for primacy never stops—and digital innovation is now the central battleground. In a recent webinar hosted by The Consumer Bankers Association, Pinwheel CEO, Kurtis Lin sat down with Emily Gessner, EVP, Head of Consumer Digital at KeyBank, and Sara Pultman, FVP of Digital Deposit Strategy at Berkshire Bank, to unpack what “primacy” really means in today’s digitally driven landscape—and how banks need to rethink customer engagement to achieve it.
Whether you missed the live event or want to revisit the insights, here’s a quick breakdown of what was covered—and why you should watch the replay.
Redefining primacy: It’s not just about direct deposit
While direct deposit has traditionally been seen as the gold standard for establishing a primary banking relationship, both KeyBank and Berkshire Bank are looking beyond this early indicator.
Emily Gessner unpacked KeyBank’s approach to primacy as an evolution. While their definition of primacy starts with foundational signals like securing a customer’s direct deposit and consistent transaction activity, they recognize the need to measure beyond the basics. True relationship strength emerges when customers take an action that signals deepening engagement, like engaging with digital tools, adding a second product like a credit card or loan, or participating in wealth or advisory conversations.
The first 30 days: Where primacy is won (or lost)
Panelists emphasized the critical importance of the first 30 days in a customer’s lifecycle, as data shows that 70% of new accounts go inactive in the first 90 days without an anchor action like direct deposit or bill pay.
Gessner shared powerful insights from an 18-month study on attrition and retention at KeyBank:
- If funding doesn’t occur by day 6, it likely won’t happen.
- If direct deposit isn’t initiated by day 17, the opportunity may be lost.If the mobile app - a key driver of future engagement - isn’t downloaded by day 7, chances are the customer won’t download it at all.
By aligning messaging strategies with these behavioral patterns, both banks built smarter, more effective onboarding journeys. KeyBank, for instance, launched an 18-month experimentation phase, testing timing, channels, and messaging personalization. The result: a focused, multi-touch strategy that drives higher activation and long-term engagement.
These insights informed KeyBank’s understanding of their customers’ behavioral patterns, enabling them to drive key actions at optimal times through a highly targeted, multi-channel onboarding journey that combined SMS, push, email, and contact center touchpoints.
Smarter onboarding, seamless activation
A major theme of the conversation? Reduce friction. Fast. Both Gessner and Pultman underscored how digital innovation is the key to delivering seamless experiences that drive value.
Pinwheel’s Switch Kit - demonstrated during the webinar - bundles account funding, direct deposit switching, and bill migration into a single, elegant experience. It even enables banks to personalize account perks and deliver targeted cross-sell offers informed by external linked account data. The Switch Kit is designed to meet customers where they are—on mobile—and helps banks move beyond manual processes or clunky UIs.
Berkshire Bank has already seen the impact from embedding Pinwheel’s next generation direct deposit switch experience - PreMatch - into their digital platform.
Berkshire Bank: Pinwheel experience
Operational alignment: Incentives, tools, and relevance
The panel closed with a strong reminder that winning primacy isn’t just a challenge for digital teams - it’s an organizational one. From product to frontline, every team plays a role in removing friction, delivering relevant messaging, and sustaining customer motivation through clear, benefit-driven interactions.
At KeyBank, for example, in-branch staff are both trained and incentivized to drive key digital onboarding behaviors like mobile app downloads and direct deposit setup. The unifying thread? A shared focus on making every step of the onboarding journey feel valuable and personalized.
Who should watch?
This webinar is a must for:
- Digital leaders looking to improve onboarding experiences and drive customer activation
- Growth teams focused on winning and sustaining account primacy
- Banks and credit unions seeking a smarter way to drive engagement in the first 30 days
Watch now
The full webinar is available on demand.
