Olufunmilola Aluko
Head of Customer Experience
Union Bank of Nigeria
Nigeria
Customer experience is viewed as a key brand differentiator for the Union Bank of Nigeria, and as such the organisation has worked hard to foster a consistent 'customer-first' focus and support the c-suite as cultural leaders in the CX transformation journey.
In alignment with these goals, Olufunmilola - fresh into the role of head of customer experience - undertook two projects concurrently: a CX maturity assessment and a gap assessment using the SERVQUAL model as a foundational benchmark, collecting data over six months through interviews and conversations, reviews of customer patterns, analysis of regulatory complaints reports, and engagement with key stakeholders.
Three priorities emerged from this work: at the customer level, it was clear that there was a need to re-energise the Voice of the Customer mechanism and expand it across more channels, utilising the feedback to improve CX; at the employee level, it was clear that silos needed to be broken down to encourage greater internal collaboration, as well as focus on improving employee engagement and training to improve productivity/service; and finally at the process level there was a need to track the basic metrics (NPS, CSAT, CES) on a regular basis to ensure continuous improvement. Based on this, Olufunmilola and her team created an actionable CX strategy and secured c-level buy-in and support.
This led to the launch of a wide range of initiatives designed to improve customer and employee engagement. These have included a review and update of CX frameworks and policies; daily VoC surveys; regular reporting on CX performance metrics, VoC, and quality of internal service, and engagement with the c-level on these stats; employee-driven knowledge-sharing sessions; regular sharing of customer success stories via newsletters and mystery shopping videos; the implementation of CX Partners to champion and embed a customer-first focus across business segments and regions in partnership with regional and departmental heads; and increased focus on customer KPIs in performance appraisals.
These efforts have delivered measurable improvements, not only in terms of the basic metrics such as NPS, CSAT and CES, but in terms of resolution statistics as measured by the industry regulator, and year-on-year upticks in the bank's ratings in the annual Customer Experience Satisfaction Survey for the Banking Industry in Nigeria conducted by KPMG.
Success for me must be sustainable and also be measured incrementally. I have done this successfully and Union Bank is working its way to the top of the pack by the continuous reorientation of its employees and how that impacts the customer and subsequently the bottom line.
