Financial institutions are consistently seeking to improve their services, usually looking at their customer interactions on a micro-level. The process of creating long term, organizational change around these interactions can be intimidating, especially when change in customer experience runs the risk of disappointing. However, by breaking down the customer journey, identifying key points, testing change and scaling, organizations can take on change in a process-oriented, low risk manner.
Identifying Various Customer Journeys
In order to identify focal points for innovation and improved customer experience, organizations must break out the various customer journeys. For financial institutions, this can vary widely. One individual might begin their journey as a non-customer, receive email outreach about interest rates on a CD, and go into a branch to open a CD along with a checking account. A different journey might be an existing customer who wants to utilize your same financial institution for a home mortgage, and applies for a mortgage online, then following up at a branch in-person.
Each customer journey is different and will have unique implications. By mapping these various processes out, your organization can better understand the different steps your customers go through while interacting with your services.
Zoning in on Touchpoints
Once customer journeys have been identified, your organization can start looking for key moments in that journey. These key moments can be identified a number of ways — through key driver analyses which determine the importance of a touchpoint, by identifying particularly low customer touchpoints, or by using judgment when hard data isn’t available. Identifying key moments of interaction with your customer can help your organization punch above its weight class by absolutely nailing the specific interactions where customers determine the value your offer as a company.
Creating Touchpoint Teams
Different individuals in your organization will have expertise and interests determined by their professional focus. For example, your digital team will be interested in the fluency of internal, online transfers self-serviced through a mobile app, while a branch manager will be invested in the process of submitting a loan application in-person. Leveraging these professional focal points, allow your staff to self-identify the pre-determined touchpoints they may want to focus on.
Notably, for mid-sized financial institutions, this process can happen at a very small scale. A team of three at an individual branch may be able to brainstorm ideas for improvement of in-person touchpoints. Similarly, your mobile app developers may be able to run beta tests with select numbers of customers before rolling out any prospective changes to your entire customer base. Starting small allows for tweaking and refining with minimal risk in a real-world environment.
Measurement and Comparison
Once your small teams have developed alternative concepts to create an improved touchpoint, trying to gauge the satisfaction surrounding that touchpoint is vital. If you have consumer feedback, such as a rating of their experience at that touchpoint, soliciting similar feedback can be valuable. Online, actively soliciting consumers to rate their experience can help you gauge the level your touchpoint has truly improved. Having this hard data surrounding prospective changes can give your organization the confidence it needs to
Scaling
Once a customer touchpoint has been improved and validated through comparative testing, your organization is ready to scale and reap the benefits of your hard work. Voila! You’ve just improved an aspect of the customer experience, and set an example for future changes within your organization to deliver unique and meaningful interactions and exceed customer expectations.
