Executive Summary Today’s discerning customer is a force for change in the banking and financial services (BFS)sector. According to McKinsey, “With the dynamic macroeconomic environment and the overallpessimism consumers are feeling, customers are thinking to the future, shifting their financial But banks aren’t necessarily finding it easy to keep up with the needs of the more demandingconsumer. “Even though consumer expectations are higher than ever, BFSI services are indanger of becoming commoditized…. This means that banks and financial institutions are under At a time of continuing disruption across the economy, TrendzOwl and TP suggest threeprominent themes in the BFS space worth examining: Omnichannelpersonalization AI andthe human touch Expandingdigital usage As banks embed supportacross channels and devicesto pursue consistent andconnected interactions,deeper personalizationleads to increased customerretention. But consumers alsoexpect brands to prioritizetheir protection by providingtransparent and secure digital Every interaction acrosschannels affects customerloyalty, but greater digitalusage is associatedwith higher satisfactionlevels. In fact, banks thatregularly practice customer While an overwhelmingmajority of CX leaders predictthat artificial intelligence(AI) will enhance trust withimproved transparency aroundAI decisions, the consensusamong consumers is that In mid-2023, McKinsey pointed out, “In this uncertain economic environment, excelling incustomer experience is more important than ever for banks — the past year has seen one of themost dynamic macroeconomic conditions in the past several decades. Over the past 12 months, No wonder that according to Salesforce in 2024, “Financial services organizations are shiftingtheir strategic focus to the ‘customer experience,’ or CX. Not to worry, though, there won’t be anyless concern about operational efficiency or profitability, but changing customer expectations As Zendesk puts it, “CX in banking is how customers feel about every interaction with yourfinancial service, at all stages of the customer lifecycle. Whether it’s a call to the contact center,transferring money in your mobile app, or something as simple as paying a bill, every exchange This aligns with recent survey work from TP’s Business Insights Lab. It seems that any extracustomer effort required to find contact information can lead to frustration, dissatisfaction, andreduced brand loyalty. Conversely, easy access to options can be a reassuring factor. Evidence ofthis impact lies in the loyalty scores given by customers rating their brands highly regarding the In other words, according to TP’s 2024 Global Insights Survey, easy access to contact informationfosters customer retention. And much like deciding which channels to offer, deciding where The digital shift Clearly, this strategic focus on the customerexperience in the BFS sector during uncertaintimes has significant benefits. According toMcKinsey, “Our research shows that banksthat are frontrunners in customer satisfactionlead in financial metrics such as totalshareholder return (TSR), increased growth,and decreased costs. We also see a positivecorrelation between customer satisfaction The growth of online and mobile bankingalso allows banks to gather customer data,apply customer insights more effectively,and differentiate their service offerings.Recently, Kameleoon commissioned Forresterto survey 107 managers and directorsresponsible for marketing and customerexperience strategy at North American But that’s not all. Greater digital usage isassociated with these higher satisfactionlevels. “Most banks have highly inconsistentdigital adoption. Even for banks that havesimilar levels of digital migration, McKinsey’sproprietary Digital Migration Index showsa two to four times variation in digitaladoption of the underlying products and Moreover, “a study by Deloitte found that84% of customers use online banking, and72% use mobile apps to reach their primarybank. What’s more, customers across allgenerations, and in all countries, use digital 84% of consumers useonline banking, and72% use mobile apps to From personalization to privacy Meanwhile, security and personalizationare key pieces of the ongoing digital shift.“Consumers have become accustomed toinstant gratification, quick response times,and streamlined processes that save themtime and effort. But with increasing concernsabout data privacy and cybersecurity,consumers also expect brands to prioritize To get to that place of more personalizedand secure experiences, McKinsey suggestsreimagining customer journeys, offering theexample of a large North American bank thatestablished an innovation factory to redesigncritical banking processes and digital journeys.“This brought together cross-functional teams— across product, business, technology,design, marketing, risk and compliance, As Zendesk points out, 77% of businessleaders recognize that deeper personali