“Forward-thinking technology is shaping the way the financial industry addresses changing consumer preferences”

First Tennessee Bank has initially rolled out instant issuance to 165 of its branch locations, giving its customers the ability to walk into a branch, open a new account or replace a lost or stolen card immediately. This has eliminated the time it takes customers to receive their card in the mail, improves the in-branch experience, and gives instant purchasing power to customers – which ultimately increases debit card portfolio performance for the bank.

Before instant issuance, First Tennessee issued on average 20,000 debit cards per month. Since the roll-out of their instant issuance program in Aug. 2013, the bank has now doubled their debit card issuance – averaging over 40,000 debit cards per month. Of those issued, approximately 150,000 of those cards were instantly issued in the last year due to a combination of new account openings and the need for customers to receive immediate replacement cards.

“Forward-thinking technology is shaping the way the financial industry addresses changing consumer preferences,” said Dave Miller, executive vice president of consumer banking for First Tennessee. “Our bank is committed to investing in the right solutions to ensure that we meet the needs of our customers; and instant issuance gives us exactly that. We have received overwhelming positive feedback from our customers and employees since implementing instant issuance. It’s simply made our bank easier to do business with and has been one of the best decisions and investments our company has made to-date.”

First Tennessee currently offers 58 premium debit card designs that customers can choose from for a more personalized experience, with plans to rollout even more card design options in 2015. The bank also from for a more personalized experience, with plans to rollout even more card design options in 2015. The bank also plans to introduce EMV cards that contain an embedded microchip and provide additional cardholder protection next year.

“Banks need to differentiate their services in order to attract and retain customers in today’s increasingly competitive marketplace,” said Phil Kasper, regional vice president, Americas, for Entrust Datacard. “Instant issuance is a proven way to accomplish this and we are pleased to help First Tennessee maintain their strong retention rates while improving their customer experience.”