For financial institutions, getting ahead in the market (and ahead of the competition) means being able to compete on customer experience. And today, that’s increasingly a digital experience.

With disruptive FinTechs and on-demand experiences from all kinds of industries shaping how consumers expect to interact, it’s no longer enough just to have an app. Here are the top 10 features that can help you differentiate with digital banking.

• Top-rated mobile apps. Again, it’s not enough just to have an app. You need apps that apply intuitive, advanced design methodologies to deliver superior mobile experiences that increase adoption. You can spot great mobile apps by their app store rating—and this matters. Because 96% of users say they’d consider an app with a 4-star rating. But only 46% say the same for an app with 3 stars.

• Connected customer experiences. With a great digital platform, you can reshape the way consumers view banking with a consistent experience across all digital devices. This makes it possible to blend your physical and digital experiences, whether that’s enabling consumers to pre-stage an ATM withdrawal on their phone, or starting a loan application online and finishing it in the branch. This moves your banking experience from a one-off, transactional “to-do” task for the consumer to one that’s wrapped around the consumer, enabling their daily lives (and keeping you top of mind).

• One platform for retail and business banking. Customer experience matters, but so does your employee experience. When you choose a core-agnostic platform that manages both retail and business banking, your consumers enjoy consistent performance while your staff enjoys more efficient back office administration.

• A single code base. Having a single code base means faster development time—and faster time to market. The best digital banking platforms use a single code base to create and update applications without requiring a large IT team or understanding multiple programming languages. It also reduces cost and complexity, while getting your digital services to your customers faster.

• Hundreds of third-party partners. Innovate faster, for less time and risk, with digital banking platforms that also offer pre-integrated services and solutions from pre-vetted third-party partners. This makes it possible to compete on experience by offering exciting digital features that differentiate your brand and don’t take long to implement.

• Robust custom branding. Immerse your users in your brand experience from the moment they tap your app on their home screen to logging into your online portal or stopping by an ATM. With the right platform, you can build loyalty and brand recognition by configuring features, images and branded elements that visually convey your brand promise and unique strengths.

• Open APIs. A digital banking platform that offers an open, flexible architecture can help your financial institution more easily develop custom applications and experiences. Look for developer tools and APIs to build widgets, create segmented user groups or integrate with emerging technologies to continually modernize your banking experience.

• Unique data insights. Imagine knowing not just what your customers use, but why. It’s possible with a digital banking platform that empowers you to maximize data insights so you can deliver personalized marketing that drives engagement and loyalty. The more advanced digital banking offerings enable you to visualize how your customers interact with your products, and use that data to segment, deploy and track targeted promotions.

• A strategic partner, not a vendor. There’s too much at stake, and too many changes disrupting the market, to go it alone. There are digital banking vendors, and then there are partners who understand the industry, technology, consumers and your business and can help you imagine, install, deploy and support your digital banking program—and help you scale it.

• Data security. Security is the most critical aspect of all—not just for your customers, but you, too. By choosing a platform with industry-leading stability and advanced security features built in, you can instill your users with confidence that their data is safe with you, and be sure you’re protecting your customers and your bottom line.

Especially for smaller community banks and credit unions, being able to offer advanced digital banking features is critical. The banks that are too big to fail don’t have to worry so much about deploying cutting-edge functions because of their sheer scale (and large IT departments). To compete, you need the latest digital banking technology—but also a company that’s more than just a vendor. Look for those that serve as a long-term, strategic partner with deep industry intimacy, the latest technology and investments in R&D to help you differentiate your digital offerings today and tomorrow.