What's more important for many credit unions is providing members with more mobile functionality. “The number one trend we continue to see is [financial institutions] seeking differentiation with apps,” Gaynor added.

Stovall noted an increase in the depth and sophistication of the financial transactions available from mobile phones through developments such as biometric technology and real-time behavioral modeling.

Biometrics, for example, is becoming such a user-centric authentication mechanism that users will expect to see in all their secure applications, Scott Hess, vice president of user experience, consulting and innovation at the Brookfield, Wis.-based Fiserv, noted. “I think it's going to be table stakes.”

But it is the marriage of voice biometrics, artificial intelligence and digital assistant technologies, like Alexa, that has people talking. Voice-activated technology appears ready to play a significant role in digital banking, as initial deployments have already started.

The Duluth, Ga.-based NCR Corp. announced the $346 million, Scarborough, Maine-based Town & Country Federal Credit Union now enables users to securely manage their personal bank account information using Amazon Alexa-enabled devices. The pilot program, described by NCR as the first credit union linking Alexa capabilities with accounts and account management functionality, will be open to NCR Digital Insight solutions customers in the U.S.

Town & Country will allow members to access their account information with simple voice commands. “Town & Country is committed to developing cutting-edge and innovative technology solutions to help simplify and add value to our members' busy lives,” Town & Country President/CEO David Libby said.

Fiserv is also unveiling similar technology. “The voice-directed thinking is absolutely in play with a lot of our larger credit unions and banks,” Hess said.

Credit unions piloting voice banking with Fiserv, such as the $17.3 billion, Tukwila, Wash.-based BECU, currently focus on authenticating members through a spoken PIN, and providing account activity updates and account balances. “These three are the most common digital banking activities and are less prone to risk than money-movement activities,” Hess said. Other voice banking features made available by Fiserv include internal transfers, bill and P2P payments, ATM/branch locators, card controls and product info.

“Voice assistance becomes an expectation for our members' day-to-day lives as they interact with the likes of Alexa, Google Home, Siri and Cortana,” Howie Wu, vice president of digital for BECU, said. “It especially makes sense to deliver this capability in mobile given the convenience/accessibility of those devices and the continued adoption by our members. Mobile is a primary delivery channel that allows our members to bank with us whenever and wherever they want on their mobile devices. It is currently one of the digital channels with the highest growth and adoption.”

BECU, a Fiserv core customer, offers mobile deposit, account aggregation, personal financial management, transfers, loan and bill payment services, branch appointment scheduling, click-to-call services and alerts. In the next six months, BECU plans to add voice banking and in-app messaging with push notifications, Zelle P2P payments and mobile-only user enrollment.

Mobile capabilities are at the forefront of other credit unions' mobile evolutions as well. Tyler Theriot, electronic services supervisor for the $302 million, Lake Charles, La.-based CSE Federal Credit Union, assured, “Our entire staff, from upper management down to our frontline reps, recognize and understand the necessity of keeping CSE Federal Credit Union mobile.”

Theriot said the credit union, also a Fiserv core customer, has taken mobile banking a few steps further with mobile deposit capture and bill pay, and an additional app called Card Valet, which allows members to control their debit card access. “We cannot expect our members to conduct their banking as they did even just five years ago,” Theriot noted. “Today's consumers are looking for quick, easy and efficient, and ultimately they want to be able to do it through their main lifeline, their mobile phone.”

CSE also utilizes the DocuSign electronic document signing software, and plans to add a biometric login and Credit Sense, a Fiserv service that helps members monitor their credit scores and increases cross-sell opportunities.

Mobile banking plays an integral role in enhancing existing relationships, especially with younger, tech-minded members at the $290 million, Gadsden, Ala.-based Alabama Teachers Credit Union, which currently offers mobile check deposit and will soon add P2P payments and the ability to turn debit cards on and off via mobile.

“Our members are very hands on when it comes to mobile banking, and we are happy with our current penetration and the speed at which members grasped the mobile banking concept,” Emily Mayben, marketing director at Alabama Teachers, said. “We expect enrollment to rise toward the end of 2017 as we enact an enrollment campaign to prepare for our online banking upgrade [to the SmartWeb App].”

Mayben explained Alabama Teachers, a current Malauzai mobile client, is upgrading to Malauzai's online banking offering in December and hopes this change provides a seamless transition from online to mobile banking. According to Gaynor, much of Malauzai's current business model focuses on combining internet and mobile on a single platform.

When it comes to AI, Malauzai expects its first voice-directed contributions to begin by the second quarter of next year, however, they'll be very basic. Gaynor anticipates it'll be at least a few years before AI is less nebulous and can truly recognize a voice's banking commands.

Eventually, AI will influence virtually every aspect of digital banking, from security to marketing to personal financial management to transaction scheduling, Stovall noted.

AI, at least when it comes to allowing financial institution customers to say anything to their devices, which can then comprehend exactly what the person is trying to do, is still not ready for primetime. “Artificial intelligence firms really need to program in very specific banking use cases for their digital assistants,” Hess suggested. “AI in banking is still not fully baked.”

Not all trends catch on either. Hess observed one hot trend from just a few years ago, tablet apps, has cooled quite a bit. Most tablet banking customers are now pulling back and focusing on utilizing responsive or adaptive web design, which allows financial institutions to deliver a good browser experience to any digital device.

Two other mobile features that could perform better but aren't are P2P payments and mobile business banking. “Everybody should have P2P but only about 10% of the market does,” Gaynor admitted. As far as business mobile, Gaynor said once businesses adopt a mobile app, they use it very aggressively, but currently there's practically nothing going on in the marketplace as far as adoption.

Mobile use is climbing, but Hess explained member choice is still important. “You're always going to find members and consumers out there who still want a human touch.”