2 min read December 2021 — For seven of the last eight years, United Community Bank, Seaside Bank and Trust’s parent company, has received the JD Power Award as the top bank for customer service in the Southeast. In a conversation with Invest:, President David Davis shared what makes Seaside Bank and Trust unique in comparison to its competitors, pointing to the high quality of service that makes Seaside Bank and Trust rise above the rest.
How has Seaside Bank and Trust evolved and how do you plan to carry that into the near term?
Seaside Bank and Trust (SBT) takes customer service to a higher level. The bank was open throughout the pandemic and we were able to operate safely, which reflects our commitment to providing a high level of service to clients. I like the fact that we were able to safely keep the doors open during the pandemic. We’re going to continue doing what’s best for our client. In 2021, our parent company received an award from J. D. Power as the No. 1 trusted bank in the Southeast. We’re able to attain such awards because our focus is on providing the best services to our clients. We’ll be more focused on how we can give our clients high quality service, which may be done through various methods that make each person feel comfortable.
What is the status of financial and commercial banking in Jacksonville?
Jacksonville is undergoing a boom and is growing tremendously. The key reason is the pandemic. This is because many people are moving from major metropolitan areas in the North. Jacksonville is simply a remarkable place because it is one of the few places in America that hosts three major bodies of water: the Atlantic Ocean, the Intercoastal Waterway and the Saint Johns River. Aesthetically, it’s a beautiful city. There’s also plenty of room for growth. It’s appealing to those in the commercial sector. We’re also a low-tax state, another factor that draws businesses and out-of-state residents to the city. Our government leadership is also friendly, making the area a bullish place to be in. I believe Jacksonville will grow at a larger rate than the national average.
How has the demand for services shifted at SBT?
Every bank has seen an increased reliability on electronic banking, including SBT. We do believe that brick-and-mortar offices are important for in-person contact but people have learned that effective communication can be administered through telecommunication services. I’m confident that we won’t return to what banking was before the pandemic. I believe we will continue to rely on online banking as it contributes to the ease of the client. Moreover, it’s stunning to witness how infrequently cash is being used. I believe there will be less cash and more electronic transfers going forward.
How is SBT capitalizing on the influx of new residents?
We don’t have the name recognition as one of the Top 10 banks in America from a size perspective or the television recognition. But whether it’s a business owner or an individual, I believe that they want to bank at a location that is reliable, dependable and that follows through. If they have that in addition to a higher level of customer service, I believe people, as consumers, will choose the location with the better service. For community banks like Seaside Bank and Trust, it’s more difficult but we know how to enter the doors of the right businesses. Our ability to be smart in our prospecting efforts, networking in the right places and helping people to effectively communicate how we differentiate ourselves from other places is important.
At Seaside Bank and Trust, I’m going to take care of you and what you need. We train our client advisors to be intelligent and skilled in commercial wealth banking and personal banking. This is something I haven’t seen anywhere else. We have an amazing team of experts in a variety of fields that many banks don’t provide. We have a tax-exempt lending team at our bank. We’re able to cover a range of a client’s needs while still building and maintaining their relationships with a single client advisor. We believe that it’s important to have a personal banker who you can actively interact with.
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