How UnionBank is modernizing the customer experience with Twilio
Time to read: 3 minutes
UnionBank of the Philippines has been using emerging technology to create financial solutions. They consider themselves a tech company rather than just a bank, and UnionBank is using Twilio’s platform to help transform banking in the Philippines.
The bank's move from on-premise to cloud-based has made them the first bank in the Philippines to do so. The impact of this digital transformation can already be seen within the organization, with a focus on future-proofing and building resilience.
The bank's early adoption of cutting-edge technology has been a valuable asset during the pandemic, as it allowed them to continue serving their growing customer base.
“UnionBank is one of the first few that embraced technology innovations to improve customer experience, empowering us into the future of banking. We recognize the need to streamline our operations and see technology as a tool to make our processes efficient. At the same time, we aim to scale to be ahead of the competition.”
Anchoring customer experience with technology and secure solutions
UnionBank has always been amongst the first to embrace technology to empower their customers. The organization is committed to modernizing and digitizing the customer experience and doesn’t hesitate to challenge the norm.
With customers as their digital transformation’s anchor, UnionBank aims to deliver fast, complete, and effective customer support at all touch points.
But the shift to focus on technology did not happen overnight. To learn about their employees and customers, UnionBank became obsessed with delivering top-notch services and making adaptability part of their DNA.
UnionBank also believes that banking is built on trust, which is their top priority. That means securing the account and providing personalized, reliable, frictionless experiences, interfaces, and convenience for their customers.
Moving to 100% cloud-based platform leads to increased efficiency
As they ramped up their technology investments, UnionBank reached a significant milestone in transforming their contact center platform. They shifted from an on-premise system to a 100% cloud-based platform.
The design and implementation of this programmable contact center were accelerated thanks to UnionBank’s close collaboration with Twilio Professional Services. With expert guidance and custom code built specifically to support UnionBank’s use cases and complex integration requirements, they were able to achieve their main goals.
Self-service automation increased to 55%, which reduced the average handling time. The platform was also made highly available and scalable, increasing data accuracy. All of these factors resulted in an increased first-call resolution.
Because of their transformation, they now have an open API strategy that provides access to data, granting access to the power of analytics to understand customer behavior and requirements. These insights reveal what customers want and how they want to be serviced.
Adapting to customer preferences with personalized, scalable solutions
Customer preferences are ever-changing and evolving. What might be a requirement today may not be relevant tomorrow. This is why UnionBank personalizes products and solutions with consideration to scaling. Since their contact center is now fully in the cloud and powered by Twilio, they can better serve customers and improve platform availability.
“Since deploying Twilio Flex, we are observing positive changes in the first three months. Regarding workforce management or in the line balancing, being able to move quickly during peak intervals helps us answer the customer calls and minimize waiting times,” says Sta. Teresa.
Sta. Teresa adds: “With Twilio Flex, we don’t require any coding in the call flow journey, and our in-house tech team can make any changes according to the customers’ needs in real time. We get positive feedback from our users because, with a simpler setup, they don’t need to navigate multiple screens immediately.”
The company has significantly improved their customer service offering, empowering customers with 60% more self-service features through Interactive Voice Response (IVR). Their user-friendly interface helps customers better navigate and assist themselves, with even more features planned for the future.
The contact center has also undergone improvements in the line balancing, providing customers with faster and more efficient service.
An auto case creation feature has been implemented, creating a case as soon as a call comes in. The plug-and-play architecture allows for easy revisions to the IVR flow and the addition of new self-service functions. Customers in the queue are informed of their wait time before speaking to a customer service representative.
“UnionBank is one of the first few that embraced technology innovations to improve customer experience, empowering us into the future of banking. We recognize the need to streamline our operations and see technology as a tool to make our processes efficient. At the same time, we aim to scale to be ahead of the competition.”
UnionBank can also view real-time contact center metrics such as speed of answer, ensuring they can continuously improve their customer service.
In 2020, 12% of customer service was digital, and 88% was voice. In 2022, 60% of customer service was digital.
Leading the future of banking with trust
UnionBank of the Philippines is one of the leaders in personalized banking services and has always been one of the first to embrace technology that empowers customers. With the help of Twilio, they will continue to lead the future of banking and offer the best service to their customers.
“In the banking world, trust is very important. It’s non-negotiable. We need to continue innovating our services to sustain the trust we’ve built with our customers. To make that happen, we must ensure we have the right solutions. Twilio Flex supports our digital agenda and highlights our competitive advantage,” says Sta. Teresa.
