Ling Chung

The company’s reliance on outsourced IT-development contractors for new programming created a backlog of high-priority projects, derailed efforts to maintain documentation control, limited the ability to respond to changes in business needs, and raised the overall cost of technology. Repetitive performance failures by the internal group limited corporate’s interest in investing in the department and further exacerbated the situation.

Suggested to senior management that the company’s digital-expansion team should have responsibility for UI/UX improvement and secured the assignment. Installed agile as the framework for driving change and assembled a dedicated crew equipped with necessary resources to lead the project. Interviewed stakeholders to gain an understanding of specific issues and concerns. Redesigned the website in four months incorporating content-management systems that allowed employees to make changes facilitating ongoing updating. Introduced a mobile-friendly loan application. Improved analytics reports to strengthen performance tracking and the monitoring of funnel metrics widening identification of improvement opportunities. Built excitement about progress and the ROI realized by telling stories that described advances whenever possible.

The remodeled assets helped propel a 125% YOY increase in digital loan-book value.

The company signed a marketing agreement with a premier credit-card supplier to issue a card carrying the supplier’s brand, a first in both firms’ experience. The supplier offered a $1 million bonus to incent acquiring the first user in less than 60 days. However, closing using direct mail, the prevalent card marketing tool, traditionally involved a 90-day cycle.

Volunteered for the challenge. Devised an accelerated introduction plan using the website. Gathered design and development resources and dedicated the unit to producing new visuals, revised copy, and an appropriate digital application. Maintained contact with internal and external stakeholders to expedite content approvals and legal authorizations.

Signed the first customer in less than 60 days, earned the million dollars, and an award for speed and creativity from the partner.

Fielding an annual average of more than 10 million phone calls and walk-ins by customers seeking service assistance, the company incurred high support costs and loss of selling time. In addition to the expense, the firm built a negative user attitude by forcing phone transfers through multiple touchpoints to resolve issues.

Determined key customer-call drivers and analyzed the responses produced by the existing system. Partnered with customer service in designing an option to waiting on hold where the caller could opt to receive a text message with an embedded secure link that when clicked connected the caller with a landing page or website field that potentially contained the resolution sought. By not requiring password authentication, the concept eliminated a key cause of customer irritation and lowered abandonment rates. Framed and launched in 60 days a pilot project testing callers’ ability to complete digitally any of ten selected transactions without outside assistance. Matured the pilot through continuous monitoring and expanded the program to include chatbot and asynchronous messaging. Over time, enabled more “self-service” activities that helped restrain a return to person-to-person calls. Installed the program in retail outlets by allowing store agents to send a linking text message to any visitor seeking assistance.

The Digital DIY program saved $19 million in customer-service costs and phased out one million yearly calls.

Customers interested in learning about one of the company’s several credit cards faced a highly fragmented journey through the website. Attempting to adhere to the customized branding guidelines of each corporate card and the products of co-marketing partners created wide-ranging inconsistencies in themes, presentation, and methods of acquisition.

Discussed with key stakeholders the critical business goals and KPIs each faced. Applied the understanding gained to guide a website redesign that provided a more cohesive customer experience. Sought early input on the designs, invited associates to attend the usability sessions, and shared champion / challenger results to illuminate the reasoning driving changes and provide data for discussions with affinity partners. Conducted usability studies and A/B testing to verify that the new look and functionality met all objectives.

The effort delivered a consistent look and feel to credit cards that aligned with the company’s protocols and marketing partners’ requirements. The standardization reduced the number of templates and custom jobs and increased use of the content-management system boosting efficiency and lowering operational costs.

The company’s brand image revolved around providing service through a branch office. Marketing spending heavily supported that positioning even though growing numbers of customers evidenced interest in banking online.

Performed analysis and prepared business cases that demonstrated how implementing an omni-channel selling and servicing strategy would expand market share and consequently secured the product team’s support for a shift in funding. Convinced marketing leadership that the website needed to change from serving strictly as a promotional vehicle to allowing visitors to effectively transact business. Influenced a change in advertising campaigns from a singular “go-to-store” message to one promoting “use digital or both”. Introduced an incentive package that became the foundation of the company’s online go to market strategy. Launched a new paid channel to drive higher marketing efficiencies and led the digital strategy to acquire both mass and affluent customer segments. Led numerous website optimization efforts to bolster application starts and completions.

The strategy change hiked digital checking sales 400% in less than four years and by attracting more affluent customers brightened the opportunity for more profitable cross-selling.

The company operated a decidedly store-centric business model and the COVID epidemic significantly disrupted normal traffic levels. Small past investments in digital technology and reliance on third-party developers had created an awkward customer experience leaving the firm unprepared to effectively remedy the negative situation.

Framed a strategic vision to have 50% of all loans handled online in five years and designated key pillars to achieve the objective. Made the digital loan application form more intuitive and user-friendly and applied testing and analysis routines to guide and substantiate changes in the website. Assumed responsibility for completing the backend work to ensure quality did not suffer in an effort to complete the project promptly. Implanted a “build and love” culture and a data driven decision making process. Introduced the first digitally offered incentive and calmed marketing’s concerns about adequate fulfillment of the anticipated flood of responses by designing a highly efficient workflow. Crafted a one-click check-out feature that influenced reorders and helped increase shopper conversions nearly 40%. Installed business logic and velocity rules as barriers against losses due to fraud.

After two years, digitally generated loans moved from 5% to 13% of the total with the portfolio value reaching $68 million, a 243% leap. The change in development procedure established agile as the primary work methodology and continuous improvement as a critical part of the company’s DNA.