Challenges Faced by ING Bank Śląski

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, the banking sector faces the dual challenge of meeting customer expectations for seamless, personalized service while optimizing operational efficiency. This case study explores how LiveBank, in partnership with ING Bank Śląski, revolutionized the mortgage application process, leveraging innovative digital solutions to enhance customer satisfaction and operational effectiveness.

Before integrating LiveBank’s solution, ING Bank Śląski encountered significant challenges in its mortgage application process. Customers expressed frustration with traditional, paper-based procedures that necessitated multiple branch visits, often resulting in time-consuming commutes and logistical hassles. Moreover, the bank sought to modernize its customer service capabilities to align with  consumers’ growing preference for digital interactions.

Goals of the Project

The collaboration aimed to achieve several key objectives:

• Enhanced Customer Experience: Implementing a digital platform to offer customers a streamlined, user-friendly mortgage application process.
• Operational Efficiency: Reducing the administrative burden and optimizing resource allocation through digital automation.
• Scalability and Flexibility: Utilizing cloud-based technology to enable rapid deployment and scalability without significant upfront costs.

Project Scope

The scope of the project encompassed:

• Unified Digital Platform: Providing ING Bank Śląski employees with a unified platform for remotely managing customer matters and improving communication through chat and online meetings. This included capabilities for video meetings, digital document exchange, screen sharing, and collaborative form-filling features.
  
  
• Remote Product Purchase: Enabling bank customers to remotely purchase bank products, such as mortgages, eliminating the need for in-person visits for necessary formalities. This significantly enhances online communication and strengthens relationships between the bank and its customers through digital channels.
  
  
• Training and Onboarding: A dedicated customer success expert was involved in the training process to ensure that employees not only mastered the technical aspects of LiveBank’s AI-powered platform but also developed proficiency in leveraging its capabilities. Training sessions were tailored to advisor’s roles, equipping them with the skills and knowledge needed to utilize the new digital tools effectively. This initiative aimed to boost efficiency and streamline customer interactions, ultimately improving service delivery and client satisfaction.
  
  
• Cloud Infrastructure: Implementing a secure cloud infrastructure provided by Operator Chmury Krajowej Sp. z o.o. (OChK) in Warsaw to support the scalable deployment of LiveBank’s solution. This approach ensures compliance with legal and industry regulations, especially the UKNF cloud communication, and enhances flexibility and operational agility.
  
  
• Enhanced Security: Offering a highly secure remote customer service environment, replacing the need to visit a physical branch of a bank or other financial institution.
  

Results and Achievements

Since the deployment of LiveBank’s solution (after 6 months):

• Increased Customer Engagement: The digital mortgage application process saw a 60% rise in customer engagement compared to traditional branch visits.
• High Customer Satisfaction: A customer satisfaction survey awarded LiveBank a remarkable score of 4.8 out of 5, underscoring its effectiveness in meeting customer expectations for convenience and transparency.
• Facilitated Over 7,000 Online Meetings: Many of these meetings were conducted via video calls, demonstrating high customer adoption and satisfaction with remote service options.

Customer Feedback and Satisfaction

While executing the project at ING Bank Śląski, the development team at Ailleron devised an entirely new operating model for the LiveBank system in a highly protected cloud infrastructure tailored to modern banking standards. The cloud model in which LiveBank was implemented at ING Bank Śląski ensured a faster project execution, started in Q1 2023. The ability to purchase any number of licenses provided the bank with scalability without high initial costs, which is crucial for such large projects. Using cloud technology, ING Bank Śląski can manage resources more efficiently, adjusting their use to current needs.

 

–  Łukasz Parzyk

Expert Lead Retail Banking, ING Bank Śląski

The innovative approach to the online mortgage experience demonstrates that efficiency and customer-centric design can coexist, offering numerous benefits to all parties involved. Digitalization of the mortgage application process has shown a 60% increase in customer engagement compared to visits to traditional branches. Flexibility and large-scale personalization proved to be the deciding factors. Furthermore, the LiveBank solution earned a remarkable score of 4.8 in a customer satisfaction survey, underscoring our dedication to meeting  customers’ needs who prioritize digital channels for communication.

Future Development and Roadmap

The LiveBank and ING’s project will continue its dynamic evolution with a strategic focus on enhancing AI-driven capabilities and expanding digital channels to further streamline customer interactions. Plans include the integration of advanced AI assistants and the optimization of the platform to ensure seamless and efficient user experiences across various banking segments.

Mateusz Grys, Product Manager at LiveBank by Ailleron, highlights the strategic direction: “Our focus is on enhancing AI-driven capabilities and expanding digital channels to further streamline customer interactions. We aim to integrate advanced AI assistants and optimize our platform for seamless user experiences across various banking segments.”

Conclusion

The collaborative efforts of ING Bank Śląski and Ailleron through LiveBank have not only revolutionized the mortgage application process but also set a new standard for digital banking engagement. With ongoing enhancements and customer-centric innovations, the partnership remains committed to delivering cutting-edge solutions that meet evolving customer expectations in the digital age.

Key Takeaways

This case study highlights the transformative impact of AI-driven digital solutions in the banking sector, emphasizing the synergy between human expertise and technological innovation. As the industry continues to evolve, initiatives like the one undertaken by LiveBank and ING Bank Śląski serve as a testament to the power of innovation in meeting—and exceeding –  customer expectations in the digital age.

Mateusz Grys

Product Manager at LiveBank by Ailleron

As the project continues to evolve, our focus is on enhancing AI-driven capabilities and expanding digital channels to further streamline customer interactions. We aim to integrate advanced AI assistants and optimize our platform for seamless user experiences across various banking segments.

 

About ING Bank

ING is a leading European universal bank. Our more than 60,000 employees serve more than 38 million customers, corporate clients and financial institutions in over 40 countries. The bank’s products include savings, payments, investments, loans, and mortgages across most of its retail markets. For Wholesale Banking clients, the bank provides specialized lending, tailored corporate finance, debt and equity market solutions, sustainable finance solutions, payments and cash management, as well as trade and treasury services.

Additional information can be found at: https://www.ing.com/

The successes of the collaboration between Ailleron and ING were also discussed on the main stage at the Finovate conference. More details can be found here.