As one of the nation’s top 100 financial institutions, UCB is deeply
committed to providing a superior customer experience (CX) and best-in-
class service to markets across the southeastern U.S.
As part of this commitment, UCB has partnered with CSP for over 20 years to collect and
analyze CX insights across multiple UCB channels and touchpoints through a comprehensive
Voice of the Customer (VoC) platform. This program has proven particularly vital to ensuring a
consistent and unified service quality culture amid UCB’s ongoing growth and expansion efforts.
Following a recent acquisition to expand its regional market share and footprint, however, the
bank faced unforeseen challenges that led to a marked decline in customer satisfaction levels.
Working with CSP, UCB implemented immediate, proactive strategies to identify root causes
and empower staff to rapidly and dramatically improve CX and loyalty metrics
The Challenge:
Growing Strategically while Prioritizing CX
In early 2022, UCB faced a pivotal challenge when it sought to expand its market presence in
western and central Tennessee through the acquisition of Reliant Bank. As is often the case, a
large percentage of Reliant’s customers were reluctant to embrace UCB after the conversion,
particularly since Reliant had made several acquisitions of its own immediately prior to UCB’s.
Customer concerns and frustrations were then compounded by a series of unforeseen staffing
challenges that disrupted service delivery during the integration of Reliant’s 24 branches into
UCB’s network during Q3 2022. Prioritizing CX throughout, UCB immediately began collecting
VoC feedback from its new Tennessee markets in Q4 2022, and then worked with CSP to
conduct a more comprehensive Overall Satisfaction survey in January 2023. With results from
both programs showing that customer satisfaction levels were well below UCB’s CX and loyalty
standards, the company immediately set out to bring the new markets up to par.
The Solution:
Empowering Teams with a Unified Customer-First Culture
Recognizing the urgency of the situation, UCB’s senior management took proactive steps to
realign the organization’s focus and bolster its customer-centric approach. This included
conducting a series of in-person strategy sessions with UCB’s leadership team and managers
from the new Tennessee markets to empower, support, and foster synergy across the
organization.
UCB also partnered with CSP to identify key CX drivers and formulate a comprehensive
strategy to enhance the relationship with new Tennessee customers and ensure the consistent
delivery of positive experiences. This included:
- One-on-One Meetings: Managers in the Tennessee region engaged in discussions with
key frontline tellers and bankers, giving them a platform to voice concerns and insights
on improving CX at their respective branches. - Training and Coaching: Educational sessions informed Tennessee managers about key
CX drivers, techniques to increase advocacy and Net Promoter Score (NPS), UCB
cultural priorities, CSP coaching and training tools, resources and monthly “CSP
Champion” initiatives to enhance and sustain positive CX.
Together, these efforts helped resolve customer concerns while strengthening UCB’s customer
centric culture and CX processes across all markets.
The Results:
Fast, Dramatic Improvement in CX and Loyalty Metrics
By prioritizing a customer-first approach, tackling acquisition challenges head-on, and fostering
a culture of continuous improvement, UCB achieved its strategic expansion goals while
reinforcing its unshakable commitment to superior customer care and best-in-class banking
services. In partnership with CSP, UCB achieved measurable gains across key CX metrics
across the recently acquired Tennessee branches.
This included:
- Steady increase in new market customer loyalty metrics, including gains of as much as 12 basis points.
- Significant improvement in post-acquisition NPS scores, increasing over 5x, from January 2023 to January 2024.
- Continued upward trend of CX and loyalty metrics bank-wide.
UCB’s commitment to its vision, “We Exist because of the Customer,” permeates its culture and
has been cultivating the bank’s exceptional customer experience within Tennessee’s new
markets. Keri Wise, UCB’s Senior Vice President of Retail, underscores the crucial link between
employee engagement and enhanced customer service, stating, “Our Tennessee leadership is
doing an extraordinary job in actively engaging, training, and empowering our team members to
fully grasp their pivotal role in supporting customers financially and upholding our reputation as
the ‘bank that service built’.”
Working closely with CSP, UCB was able to elevate CX and instill a consistent service quality
culture across its entire organization. CSP’s long-standing and proven model of helping bank
clients focus on the Key Drivers of the Customer Experience, training their staff on how to
deliver those drivers, and consistently delivering a high level of service to the Key Drivers,
correlates to a steady increase in all of the Loyalty Metrics. UCB’s commitment to “grow while
remaining small” is evident in its ongoing dedication to continually enhance customer
satisfaction and loyalty. This dedication is exemplified through initiatives aimed at empowering
employees, nurturing a supportive work environment, and ingraining a customer-centric mindset
into the fabric of the organization.
To learn more, contact [email protected]
About UCB:
UCB has earned widespread recognition for its CX leadership, including:
- Ranked #1 in Customer Satisfaction with Consumer Banking in the Southeast Region by J.D. Power’s U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study, in 8 of the past 10 years running, including 2024, also receiving #1 in Trust.
- 15 Coalition Greenwich awards for Excellence and Best Brand with national honors for Overall Satisfaction in SMB banking.
- Recognized by Newsweek as one of the Most Trusted Companies in America.
