Leveraging generative artificial intelligence in banks' customer journeys

Topics
AI
Author
Fabio Pereira
Publication Date
13 October 2023

Leveraging generative artificial intelligence in banks' customer journeys

Enhancing experiences for the digital era

The use of AI in banks has evolved significantly over the years, transforming data into valuable insights and powering applications like chatbots and automated advice. As technology continues to advance rapidly, a new frontier in AI has emerged: generative AI.

Generative AI refers to the remarkable capability of systems to produce original and creative content, including text, images, and even music, in response to prompts or descriptions. This groundbreaking development holds vast potential across various industries, particularly for banks, where it can revolutionise personalisation and enhance the overall customer experience.

To thrive in the digital era, banks must create these personalised and seamless experiences with customer expectations alignment in mind. Generative AI plays a crucial role in enabling banks to deliver this personalisation faster and more efficiently than ever before. By leveraging those language model technologies, banks can unlock the ability to tailor their services to individual customer needs, enhancing customer satisfaction and gaining a competitive advantage in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

From static information to hyper personalisation

With the advent of the internet and digital interactions, customers initially accessed static, one-size-fits-all webpages. Over time, search engines, particularly Google and the emergence of web 2.0, became more advanced, enabling the identification of customer segments based on factors like region, age, and others. Today, with the rise of web 3.0 and social media, hyper-personalised content is already being created, and the future web 4.0 holds the potential to further enhance these experiences. However, traditional industries, such as banks, have not kept pace with the level of personalisation offered by social media.
From a maturity evolution point of view, the Web1.0 lies within this initial stage of product offerings, where one size fits all. That maturity evolves over time when data starts to enable banks to segment their customers, bringing one solution to many. In the near future, with Web4.0, banks will be unlocking the potential of hyper-personalisation, where the offering is tailored exclusively to that customer.

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Enhancing customer journeys: lessons from other industries

To understand the power of generative AI in transforming customer journeys, we first explore its impact in industries outside of banking. Examples from e-commerce, hospitality, and healthcare demonstrate how generative AI-driven personalisation, proactive service, and streamlined processes have improved customer experiences:

  1. Amazon: With generative AI algorithms, Amazon analyses customer behaviour, preferences, and purchase history to provide personalised product recommendations. This proactive service approach enhances customer satisfaction and drives customer loyalty.
  2. Marriott International: Marriott has implemented generative AI-powered chatbots that assist guests with inquiries, bookings, and personalised recommendations. These chatbots streamline the guest experience, reduce response times, and provide instant assistance.
  3. Medtronic: The healthcare industry has leveraged generative AI to create personalised treatment plans based on patient data, medical history, and genetic information. This data-driven approach enables tailored medical interventions and improves patient outcomes.

Generative AI shows great potential for enhancing customer journeys, as demonstrated by these examples above. Amazon's personalised product recommendations, Marriott International's AI-powered chatbots, and Medtronic's tailored treatment plans all showcase the power of generative AI in delivering proactive services, streamlined processes, and improved outcomes. By leveraging generative AI in banking, institutions will be able to provide personalised experiences, simpler operations, thus driving customer satisfaction and loyalty. Implementing AI-driven recommendations, virtual assistants, and customised solutions are already seen as requirements for banks to stay competitive and deliver exceptional customer experiences

Transforming customer journeys in banking: the generative AI advantage

In the banking industry, generative AI has the potential to revolutionise customer journeys. By harnessing vast amounts of data, generative AI algorithms can provide personalised financial advice, predictive insights, and contextually relevant experiences. We delve into the benefits of generative AI in automating routine tasks, reducing wait times, and enhancing self-service capabilities. The integration of generative AI technologies presents a tremendous opportunity for banks to create tailored, efficient, and delightful customer journeys.

Real-world examples: leading banks at the forefront

Drawing inspiration from real-world implementations, we have selected some showcase examples below, that have successfully leveraged generative AI to enhance customer journeys, highlighting the adoption of generative AI-powered chatbots, virtual assistants, and personalised recommendations.

HSBC - Amy: HSBC has introduced Amy, a generative AI-powered virtual assistant that provides personalised financial guidance and assistance to customers. Amy assists users with tasks such as account management, financial planning, and investment recommendations. The implementation of Amy has resulted in improved customer engagement, reduced call centre volume, and increased customer satisfaction.

JP Morgan Chase - COIN: JP Morgan Chase has developed COIN, a generative AI-powered system that automates the review and extraction of relevant information from legal documents. This system streamlines the time-consuming process of document review, improves accuracy, and reduces operational costs.

DBS Bank - NAV Planner: DBS Bank utilises generative AI algorithms in their NAV Planner tool to provide customers with personalised investment recommendations and financial planning insights. This AI-driven approach helps customers make informed investment decisions tailored to their financial goals and risk profiles.

These examples illustrate the transformative power of generative AI in redefining customer experiences in the banking sector:

  • Improved customer engagement: The generative AI-powered virtual assistants enable customers to easily navigate banking services, obtain relevant information, and complete transactions.
  • Reduced costs: The automation of routine tasks through generative AI reduces the need for manual intervention and lowers operational costs.
  • Increased cross-selling opportunities: Generative AI algorithms analyse customer data to offer tailored product recommendations, fostering cross-selling opportunities.

The future of generative AI in banking consumer journeys

Looking ahead, emerging generative AI technologies that hold promise for the future of customer journeys and are poised to revolutionise how customers interact with banks are voice assistants, augmented reality, and advanced analytics. However, the potential applications of generative AI in enhancing customer journeys extend beyond these areas. Let's explore additional angles where generative AI can transform the banking industry:

  1. Personalised product offerings: Generative AI can analyse vast amounts of customer data to understand individual preferences, financial goals, and risk profiles. Banks can leverage this information to offer personalised product recommendations, customised investment strategies, and tailored financial advice. By aligning their offerings with customers' unique requirements, banks can enhance customer satisfaction and drive greater engagement.
  2. Intelligent fraud detection: Generative AI algorithms can detect patterns and anomalies in real-time, helping banks identify potential fraudulent activities. By analysing transaction history, user behaviour, and other relevant data, generative AI-powered systems can flag suspicious transactions, mitigate risks, and enhance the security of customer accounts. This proactive approach not only protects customers but also strengthens their trust in the banking institution.
  3. Seamless onboarding and customer support: Generative AI can streamline the onboarding process by automating data collection, verification, and compliance checks. This reduces manual efforts, accelerates account setup, and enhances the overall customer experience. Additionally, generative AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can provide instant, accurate, and personalised support to customers, addressing their queries, assisting with transactions, and resolving issues in a timely manner.
  4. Contextual financial insights: By analysing data from various sources, including social media, market trends, and economic indicators, generative AI can provide contextual financial insights to customers. These insights can help customers to make informed financial decisions: optimise their savings, manage debt, plan for retirement, among others. Banks can make use of generative AI to deliver real-time financial advice tailored to each customer's unique circumstances.
  5. Predictive customer analytics: Generative AI algorithms can forecast customer behaviour, predict future needs, and anticipate potential life events. By leveraging predictive analytics, banks can proactively offer relevant products and services at the right time, such as mortgage refinancing options, insurance coverage, or investment opportunities. This personalised approach strengthens customer relationships, increases cross-selling opportunities, and drives customer loyalty.

Banks should approach the adoption of generative AI in customer journeys strategically and responsibly. It is essential to prioritise areas that don't pose financial risk to customers, such as onboarding processes, personalised product recommendations, and customer support. By starting in these less risky areas and gradually expanding into other domains as the technology matures, banks can gain valuable insights, measure the impact, and refine their generative AI initiatives. This iterative approach ensures a balanced integration of generative AI, upholding ethics, data privacy, and maintaining a human touch alongside the AI-driven experiences.

In conclusion, generative AI has the potential to revolutionise the banking industry by providing personalised customer experiences and streamlining operations. Banks can unlock new value through improved efficiency, expanded market access, and enhanced customer lifetime value by leveraging generative AI in their customer journeys. With the ability to analyse data, offer personalised recommendations, detect fraud, provide contextual insights, and anticipate customer needs, generative AI empowers banks to deliver exceptional experiences. By experimenting with generative AI in prioritised areas and expanding as the technology evolves, banks can harness its full potential and drive innovation in the digital era.

 

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References

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