How Hebron Savings Bank Found a Scalable Internal Solution for Growth

 About Hebron Savings Bank 

Founded over 114 years ago, Hebron Savings Bank is a leading community-focused financial institution based in the Mid-Atlantic United States. Known for holding the highest number of customer deposits in its region, the bank’s employees are proudly dedicated to driving local economic growth by expanding service areas and fostering community prosperity one new branch at a time. 

“We are proud to say that out of the 12 remaining community banks on the Delmarva Peninsula, we are the third largest in total assets and hold the highest amount of customer deposits of any bank, large or small, in our three-county branch area of Wicomico, Dorchester, and Somerset Counties.”  

– Jennifer A. Poulsen 
Chief Executive Officer & President 

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The Challenge: Finding a Scalable Internal Solution to Match HSB’s Growth

As a community bank planning to expand in the region, Hebron executives were looking at potential significant internal operational difficulties in late 2023, which threatened the bank’s objectives. The most alarming and obvious of those issues were: 

• Communication that’s lacking: Employees struggled with email overload, delaying critical updates and collaboration. 

• Absence of an intranet and reliance on shared drives: The lack of structured document storage made it difficult to locate, prepare and distribute up-to-date policies and procedures, which is crucial for a financial institution. 

• Resource Constraints: A small IT team had limited capacity to manage and support additional complex systems. 

• Cultural Disconnect: Rapid growth threatened the close-knit, collaborative environment the bank valued.  

To address these challenges, the bank sought a secure, scalable internal solution to support its operations and align with its mission of community prosperity. The solution was to adopt an internal communications system, a robust intranet that could serve as a single source of truth for daily operations, a place for employees to collaborate and exchange news with each other, and a project management tool for content managers updating policies and regulations. 

Objectives 

Hebron Savings Community Bank aimed to adopt an intranet that would allow to: 

1. Implement an on-premises solution to meet regulatory and security requirements. 
2. Automate internal processes for improved efficiency and compliance. 
3. Foster a transparent corporate culture and boost employee engagement across its growing workforce. 
4. Ensure scalable internal systems to support business expansion. 

The Solution 

Hebron Savings Bank prides itself on serving its local community with excellence since 1910. The bank’s success is rooted in its commitment to its clients and employees, aiming to foster transparency, collaboration, and efficient workflows to support its expanding role as a financial leader in the state. Naturally, such an established financial institution was on the lookout for a reliable internal communications platform with a history of success in the banking industry and essential security features, like on-premise servers.  

In 2024, the bank partnered with Intranet Connections to implement a customizable on-premise intranet solution that managed to enhance its operations and foster internal engagement right after a successful onboarding. And just within the first few months, deliver exciting results for all content managers and end users! 

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The Approach 

Among other IC customers, the platform is known as a top scalable internal solution that is built for enhanced productivity, efficiency, and growth of financial institutions. Very frequently adoption of the IC platform coincides with a rapid expansion of the organization, which boosts and simplifies internal communications, keeping everyone internally aware of the growth. 

Intranet Connections was anecdotally known to the employees of Hebron from members of the implementation team’s past experience with the platform, which already facilitated internal communications and streamlined knowledge management at another institution.   

“Intranet Connections has exceeded our expectations. Its user-friendly workflows and document management have transformed our operations, allowing us to focus on our mission to support our community. The efficiency and transparency we’ve achieved are unmatched.”  
– Kelsey Tilghman 

Project Manager, VP 

From the very launch date, several core features of the IC platform offered Hebron Savings Bank a secure, user-friendly intranet customized to their specific requirements and addressed the recognized challenges. 

• On-Premises Deployment: Designed for regulatory compliance, the solution aligned with the bank’s security priorities and easy maintenance for their smaller IT team. 

• Centralized Communication: A “What’s New” feed and other tools ensured timely, effective notification on updates across the departments. 

• Automation of Workflows: Custom forms and workflows streamlined processes in key departments like fraud management and bookkeeping. 

• Employee Engagement Features: Interactive spaces, like personalized walls and team calendars, fostering a sense of community, connection and collaboration. 

“We’ve seen better communication, faster processes, and a culture that feels more connected and transparent—all while meeting our stringent compliance needs.” 
– Tina Nichols  

VP Human Resources 

Results: Empowering Efficiency and Engagement 

Six months after the launch, Hebron Savings Bank surveyed its employees to measure the intranet’s effectiveness and adoption of the platform. The results confirmed significant improvements, especially in the areas of: 

• Ease of Finding Information 
  • 76%: Reported that information was “Much easier to find.” 

This indicated the intranet’s success in replacing the bank’s disorganized shared drives with a streamlined, searchable document storage system. 

• Impact of Forms on Processes 
  • 75%: Found that forms on the intranet made processes “Easier.” 

As mentioned by Kelsey Tilghman, Project Manager in charge of the whole intranet project execution, automated workflows significantly boosted efficiency in critical areas like fraud management and bookkeeping, allowing faster responses and improved compliance across departments. 

“If we purchased it solely for the forms and workflows, it would have been worth every penny. The intranet allows us to respond faster, meet regulatory requirements, and foster a connected informed workplace.” 
– Kelsey Tilghman 

Project Manager, VP 

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Discover the benefits of IC’s intranet software for yourself 

With Intranet Connections, Hebron Savings Bank transformed its internal operations to align with its mission of fostering community prosperity and economic growth. The intranet’s secure, customizable features helped the bank achieve operational excellence, enhance employee engagement, and support its continued expansion. 

See how IC’s intranet software could benefit your organization. Simplify your processes, drive employee engagement, and save time by switching to IC’s scalable internal solution. Book a call with our internal communications specialist today.