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Like many others, international bank Millennium BCP is reviewing its large branch network. In Portugal alone, the bank has over 600 branches – many from previous acquisitions. The review was partly to do with ensuring its branch estate provided a consistent experience, but also it was an opportunity for Millennium BCP to rethink its approach to the customer journey.
As Sergio Magalhães, Director of the Digital Transformation Office explains:
As we remodelled our branches, we wanted to build better customer experiences so we analysed our customers’ journeys to use our branch services. We asked many questions, like why they still need to come into branches? Why do they need to take out or deposit cash and how would they be affected by a branch closure?
The branch of the future
To ensure long-term protection of their estate, Millennium BCP developed the concept of the branch of the future. Their main objectives were to:
- build better customer experiences and enable customers to bank how and when they want
- offer a 24/7 365-day service, inside and outside the branch through ATM solutions and modernisation
- create a new kind of customer-centric branch for the future.
This customer-centric approach required a rethink of both the role of staff and the role of technology.
Regarding staff, it was necessary that they were able to focus more on looking after the customer, and providing added value through personalised and more complex consultancy. To do this, they needed to be relieved of more menial tasks.
Millennium BCP realised that a high proportion of customers coming into their branch were there to withdraw or deposit at the same time. This analysis culminated in the team developing a new concept for the bank branch of the future. This is where the bank’s new branch concept came into its own – branches with a core of self service and assisted-service machines that can serve customers’ needs.
The importance of vendor independence
At the project’s core, there was a requirement for self-service and assisted service machines that can serve customers’ needs. Alongside this, Millennium BCP’s solution allowed for quicker cash transactions, and video link technology meant that branches could remain operational for more hours a day. To deliver all of this required not just quality hardware, but also intelligent and adaptable software. Auriga was able to deliver the platform that was ideal for Millennium BCP’s needs.
Millennium BCP has chosen Auriga as its technology partner for this transformation, ensuring true alignment to its technology goals. Among the many reasons for this selection, according to Sergio Magalhães, one was essential:
Most importantly for us is how Auriga is vendor independent, so we can customise the digital experience to our customers’ journeys across all of our digital devices. Software independence is so key for us and how we are using teller-assisted cash machines inside and outside the branch to offer a 24/7 365 days of the year service. The latter requires video teller authorisation which Auriga has helped us integrate and deliver. Customers operating on an ASD can call a remote operator for help, available 24/7 both via telephone or with video, for any operation that requires authorization, as a result, we are the only bank in Portugal where you can pay in a check at midnight.
Auriga’s vendor independence means that banks can chose the correct hardware for the solution, while maintaining the same underlying digital experience for customers, tightly integrated and optimised for all customer journeys.
Delivering a high-quality experience
Millennium BCP uses Auriga’s WinWebServer (WWS) suite to create a tightly integrated digital platform for running its next generation branches. Staff can use tablet computers to get full visibility of how customers are using branch services and use these insights to engage with customers productively in branch. There is a central console for managing and checking the performance of all the devices, enabling the bank to ensure it is delivering the best possible services and troubleshooting any issues.
Now, with new assisted self-service terminals deployed, both inside and outside the lobby, services are available 24/7. The technology supports multiple denomination withdrawal, bill payments or currency exchange. Remote assistance means that any operation that requires authorisation can still be accessed when the branch is closed.
Millennium BCP has started on its programme of branch transformation and there is a long way to go yet. However, the early results speak for themselves, and show that the bank is on the right track. Big improvements in customer satisfaction have been reported, and the new MTMs (Millennium Teller Machines) are delivering a high-quality experience – as shown by the high Net Promoter Scores demonstrated by both the bank itself (85%) and also this type of service (average NPS score of 92%).
In addition, 24% of transactions are made when the branch is closed, providing new opportunities for driving revenue.
We are in a close partnership with Auriga that is a win-win situation for us both. For Auriga we are a kind of challenger bank in how we are going to them all the time with new requirements. And they give us back the opportunity to try out Auriga’s own new ideas for how to deliver better customer banking experiences.
