Are You Hearing Your Silent Customers?
NOVEMBER 2025 | Why Passive Segments Are Growing — and What to Do About It
Mutual banks have always excelled at strong customer relationships — but a growing portion of customers are becoming increasingly silent. These are the low-value, low-engagement customers sitting in the Passive segment of the Behaviour Quadrant. They rarely contact the bank, seldom respond to communications, and often slip away unnoticed.
Silence doesn’t mean “not interested.” It often means untapped, unknown, and at risk.
Why Passive Customers Are Increasing
1. Digital-first behaviour
Customers don’t call or visit branches as often. This creates fewer natural touchpoints.
2. Product minimisation
Many customers hold a single savings or transaction account with minimal balances — often as a “backup bank” or an account they opened years ago.
3. Comms fatigue
If messages feel generic or irrelevant, customers disengage. Over time, they stop opening emails or responding to offers.
4. Competitive noise
With major banks investing heavily in personalised digital experiences, silence becomes a signa
Why Silence Matters
Silent customers rarely raise their hand before they leave. There’s no feedback form, no complaint, no final phone call. They simply move on.
Without proactive monitoring, mutual banks risk:
Erosion of younger cohorts
Declining customer engagement metrics
Increased acquisition costs just to replace silent attrition
But silence is an opportunity when you know how to spot it.
Data Can Help You Hear What Customers Aren’t Saying
Silent behaviour has clear signals, for example:
No transactions for 60–90 days
Payroll drops off
App inactivity
Gradual balance drift
Combined with tools like Engagement Score and the Behaviour Quadrant, these signals highlight who needs attention early.
How to Re-Activate Silent Customers (Without Spamming Them)
Once you’ve identified the passive segment, the next step is gentle re-engagement.
Not a product push. Not a “we miss you” email.
Something thoughtful, relevant, and easy to act on.
1. Start with low-friction nudges
Simple check-ins, preference updates, or service prompts can re-open the channel.
2. Make your messages contextual
Trigger comms based on a real signal — e.g., “Your app hasn’t been opened in a while. Here’s something new you may have missed.”
3. Offer value, not a sale
Educational content, financial wellbeing tips, savings hacks, local community updates — things that feel helpful, not promotional.
4. Leverage multi-channel
Silent customers may ignore email but respond to SMS, IB inbox messages, or app notifications.
5. Use outbound calls selectively
Reserve calls for customers showing multiple risk indicators, and action the calls through Customer View.
Automation: Your Best Tool for Reawakening Passive Customers
Re-engagement works best when it’s automated and data-driven:
Inactivity triggers
Payroll-loss journeys
App re-engagement nudges
Preference Centre updates
Customer View Tasks for human follow-up
These small, automated interventions reopen communication long before the customer is lost.
Silence Doesn’t Mean They’re Gone — It Means Opportunity
For mutual banks, the Passive segment is often the largest untapped opportunity in the customer base. With the right signals, smart automation, and gentle, value-led communication, silent customers can become active customers again.
It’s about hearing what they aren’t saying — and responding in a way that feels personal, relevant, and helpful.