Profitability: Two Banks Beef Up Operations With S1: Charter One and Valley National sought to improve call handling, cut paperwork and reduce training of customer-service reps.

While evidence mounts that banks are starting to loosen the purse strings a bit when it comes to technology investments, expectations for what that investment will yield are still high. To secure buy-in from top brass, those arguing for a major outlay are often expected to deliver on three broad fronts: lower costs, increased revenue and improved customer experience. No easy task to be sure, even if the money is a bit easier to get.

But one bank that seems to have wrung a lot of these benefits out of its technology investment is Charter One, which has used an array of S1 data management tools and other technology: S1 Teller, S1 Sales & Service and S1 Call Center.

Its improved operations are soon to be enjoyed by Royal Bank of Scotland, which in May announced its intention to …