Visitors to the West Main Street branch of Chelsea Groton Bank in Norwich will notice a new look to the building. Bank officials stress the nine-month effort to upgrade the facility is not a renovation, but a re-invention.

Chief Experience and Engagement Officer at the bank, Lori Dufficy, said a renovation is only about the building itself. The changes made at the branch is “a re-invention of the people and the processes and services that we deliver in a new space. We wanted to create spaces that are conducive to having financially relevant conversations in a very welcoming, very comfortable environment.”

A ribbon-cutting ceremony June 30 at the new-look branch officially launched the changes. Members of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut, the Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce and area civic and government officials attended.

It’s the third Chelsea Groton branch to undergo the “reinvention” process, following branches in Center Groton and Mystic. Niantic is next in line, with all Chelsea Groton branches to eventually see upgrades.

Dufficy says a main goal of the newly configured bank branches is to eliminate barriers between bank customers and staff.

“Nothing replaces human interaction,” she said. “There are no longer big desks between customers and bank staff for sit-down conversations. We have replaced it with spaces of engagement.”

That includes a “knowledge bar,” where you can sit down with a bank official over a complimentary cup of coffee and have a conversation “similar to what you would have at a diner,” said Dufficy. There are meeting spaces for educational seminars, as well as video-conferencing rooms, where bank customers can meet with Chelsea Groton banking experts who may not be in the branch at the time.

“That has proven very successful,” said Dufficy.

“The key is to create a learning environment for our customers,” Dufficy added. “Finances are very complex. There are great tools available for people to manage their finances, but if they don’t know how to use them, they won’t get the most value out of them.”

A library and resource center is available at the branch.

There are still the traditional teller lines and ATMs. A new feature of the branch’s drive-through service, though, is a video banking ATM, where during some hours even when the branch is closed, customers can speak via video conferencing with a bank employee if necessary to conduct transactions that can't be accomplished with a regular ATM. “One example would be if you wanted to cash a check right down to the penny," said Dufficy.

“We are the polar opposite with what the bigger, larger banks are doing, (by closing down branches, or making them ATM-only locations),” she added. “We are a mutual bank, no shareholders. Everything we do is to serve our community members, which we’ve been doing for 167 years.”

The ribbon-cutting ceremony included a couple of community contributions. Chelsea Groton presented a $1,000 check to Hartford Healthcare at Home Center for Hospice Care of Southeast Connecticut. “Each one of us (at the bank) had personal impact through the Hospice group,” explained Customer Solutions Manager for the Chelsea Groton Norwich branch Alysha Yepes. “It’s a deep compassion that hospice employees and volunteers portray — the way they help support families is immeasurable.”

Meanwhile, Norwich Mayor Peter Nystrom, a Chelsea Groton customer, thanked the bank for donating its discarded office furniture to City Hall. He said the counters formerly used at the bank branch have been reconfigured and are now installed in the city clerk’s office. Mahogany chairs and a glass-covered center table are now in the city manager’s office, with other municipal offices also receiving donated furniture.

“It all just enriches the historical nature of City Hall,” he said. “It’s a great donation for the people’s building in Norwich.”

The mayor also thanked the bank for its donations to various city programs.

At least one mural of old-time Norwich photos that used to line the walls of the bank branch now hangs in the Foundry 66 building on Franklin Street. A second mural is currently in storage.

A small art exhibit featuring area artists is also on display at the bank branch. It will change monthly.

Kevin Gorden lives in Norwich.