Presentation

Now we have presented our ideas at BoostTurku and I'm very proud of our group! We presented the ideas as a story about Magda 60 y/o and her customer experience in Aktia. I will try to put up the whole story on the blog a little bit later on.

We actually didn't have the representative from Aktia listening to us, so we are going with the other Aktia group to Helsinki at some point to present our ideas for the board over there. Scary but exciting I think! So our work continues and we will probably develop our ideas a bit and think about ways of really visualizing our ideas. Probably we will continue writing on the blog and Twitter so you can follow the last bit of our journey :)

Thank you INNO58h and good job all the groups!

/ Jasmine

The work continues

Today we've been busy creating and developing ideas. Throwing some away, creating new ones, taking old ones back and so on. So far we've done pretty good and ideas are really forming in our minds. The work and developing continues...

/ Jasmine

By the way, we eat A LOT here... Ufff.

Let the innovation commence!

Lots of great ideas are pitched today!

VIDEO: Banking Experience for Elderly People

Links on banking services for the young elderly

Senior citizens pay more (Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority)
BANK4ELDER (B4E, Bank4Elder)
General user needs (B4E, Bank4Elder)
Modern banking for older people (The Engineer)
'Text Banking Touch & Go' FAQ (Text Banking Touch & Go)

There will be more links, so stay tuned!

Kunstenniemi, here we go!

We've arrived in Kunstenniemi and we're already up and creating. We got our Aktia assignment and it goes like this:

"Re-think banking service-design and future banking experience for Aktia using digital and technical solutions (target group: 60-70+)."

Interesting...

Frågor & svar från Aktia

Vi har till allas stora glädje fått svar från Aktia gällande deras verksamhet, strategi, och dylikt. Frågor & svar enligt följande:


- Vi har hört att Aktias mål är att år 2015 vara Finlands bästa bank på service; hurdana åtgärder och hurdan strategi har ni för att genomföra målet?

  *   Vi har ett proaktiv sätt att arbeta gentemot våra kunder
  *   Vår focus är att ha en vältränad, effektiv och spänstig organisation som arbetar på kundens villkor med ett personligt och modern sätt
  *   vi fastställer varje år mätare för att följa upp hur bra vi är på kundservice
  *   även externa/objektiva mätningar används i kombination med egna mätare/kundförfrågningar för att få en helhetsbild
  *   Mätarna baserar sig på: aktivitet gentemot kunder, tillgänglighet då kunden behöver få tag på oss, smidighet och enkelhet i att sköta sina ärenden, vår sakkunnighet att kunna betjäna kunderna i alla deras utmaningar/frågor samt trevlighet (det är roligt att vara i kontakt med oss).

- Har Aktia planerat att göra eller håller Aktia på att göra en "bank-app" till smarttelefoner? Hur kommer den att verkställas och vilka tjänster kommer den att innehålla?

  *   ingen bank-app lanseras för olika platformer som går att ladda ner t.ex på Appstore
  *   istället lanseras en mobil browsing-version av nätbanken i början av hösten 2013 som innehåller de mest väsentliga tjänsterna man som kund behöver (betala räkningar, se saldo, bekräfta betalningar/e-fakturor, se förfallande betalningar)

- Vilken är Er viktigaste målgrupp/kundsegment inom private-banking?

  *   Inom privatkundssegmentet är våra viktigaste kunder förmögna och/eller höginkomsstagare, familjebyggare och unga kunder med bra potential (utbildning, yrke...).
  *   För dessa erbjuder vi olika kundförmåner och -erbjudanden såsom Aktia Premium.
  *   Private Banking är vår avdelning/kontor för våra mest förmögna privatkunder

- Vad upplever Aktia själv att är dess starka sidor som en bank i Finland och vilka kunde utvecklas?

  *   Styrkor: tvåspråkighet, lokal närvaro där vi känner kunderna personligen, inhemsk och självständig retailbank med lojala ägare, konkurrenskraftiga tjänster/priser och kunderbjudande
  *   Utvecklingsområden: kännedom på finska marknaden, nivån på kundservice, moderna och smartare system t.ex. mobila tjänster och tjänster i telefon/nätet, större möjligheter online, attraktivitet som arbetsgivare

- Hurdan skolning har Aktia för arbetstagarna och hur ofta håller Aktia skolningar?

  *   Arbetstagarna utbildas enligt ett schema årligen med information kring produkter, försäljning, aktuella förändringar i lagstiftning/marknaden, kundförmåner, ledarskap.
  *   Totalt ordnas årligen tiotals utbildningar både fysiskt på plats, via telefonkonferenser och genom e-learning
  *   Alla nya aktianer har ett eget introduktionsprogram

- Mikael L

SWOT-analysis

I've done a SWOT-analysis of Aktia. The analysis is based on the information I've collected from Aktias annual report and from the meeting at Aktia. So here it goes:

Strenghts:

• Striving to have the best Finnish customer service in selected customer segments by 2015.
• Aktia is a relatively small bank and it strives to offer even more personal service and learn to know their customers.

Weaknesses:

• Their biggest competitors such as OP, Danske Bank and Nordea.
• Because Aktia is a smaller bank it has a smaller budget than it's bigger competitors and therefore it always doesn't have the fundings to keep up with their competition in terms of new technology and such.

Opportunities:

• To do better customer service than it's competitors for private customers and smaller companies.

Threats:

• Uncertain economic situation
• Competitors (see above)
• Fluctuations in stock-, interest- and currency rates -> demand on services depends on these factors
• Changes in intrestrates, output and credit margins influences the interest margin -> can influence profitability
• New regulations can result in higher capital requirements, sharper competition on deposits, higher fixed costs and in the long-run higher lending margins -> less people willing to take loans

/ Jasmine

Future Vision, Strategy and Outlook

Aktias aim in the future will be to develop especially the customer-oriented banking and insurance- solutions and add value to the customers, owners and the local community. Their vision is to be the leading bank in helping customers improve and safeguard their finances. The core values include 5 main themes: responsibility, customer closeness, security, individual service and last but not least, active customer contact. They strive to be a modern, active and committed bank that takes good care of its customers.

In order to being able to integrate their subsidiaries under one brand, Aktia has made the decision to execute a centralised group model control. Thus their strengths in the future will include decision-making on local level. The main targets geographically is the bilingual coastal area as almost 50% of the customers are bilingual (Swedish-speaking Finns) as well as certain chosen cities (Helsinki and its region, Turku, Tampere, Oulu). They aim at achieving growth through cross-selling services and products to the customers of the group. Collaboration is an important part of the services Aktia offer; it is made with partners such as Veritas Pension Insurance and Folksam, which are the two most important of Aktias cooperation partners. Aktia wants to point out that their main competitive advantage is founded on the dialogue between customer and staff. This is possible due to the fact that Aktia is a small bank and wants to offer their customers a close, personal relationship to the bank and its staff.      

Aktia is striving to grow slightly more than the market in the times to come, especially in the fields of services to private customers and small companies. The plan of action includes, as mentioned before, becoming the Finnish champion of customer services in selected customer segments in 2015.

- Mikael L 

Mission&Vision

Mission: ” We develop and sell customer-oriented banking and insurance solutions and create added value for our  customers, owners and the local community.”

Vision: “We are the leading bank in helping our customers to improve and safeguard their finances and are the customers’ first choice in the areas in which we operate.”

//Mikael H

A Brief Past of Aktia

2008:

·         Veritas Non-Life insurance merger work began

·         Market shares increased in every segment

·         A sponsor of Pidä Saaristo Siistinä Ry for years

2009:

·         Veritas Non-Life insurance merger

·         Aktia listed to Helsinki Stock Exchange

·         New websites

·         Strengthening the trademark

·         Aktia Dialogi concept

·         Mapping customers personal needs, financial situation, values à best products and services for the customer

2010:

·         Donations to Universities in Finland 10 000- 80 000€

·         In general a good year for Aktia

·         Renewal of their phone services

·         Concentrating “back office” tasks to certain areas àmore time for customers

2011:

·         Aktia Store in Espoo (more stores coming due to its great response)

·         Helsinki, Järvenpää and Loviisa

·         Customers get to choose were they would like to sit ( different spaces)

·         WLAN

·         Co-operation with Moomin

·         Right to use in marketing and different moomin products

·         Because of similar values

2012:

·         New internetservice (http://www.aktia.fi/static/vepa/markkinointi/videosivu/video_1280_fi.html)

·         More user friendly. Possibility to test the service?

·         Aktia Premium

·         Own investment adviser

·         Individual financial plan

·         Visa Gold card

·         Renewal of the intranet

·         3 new Aktia Stores (by the end of 2013: 10 offices)

Useful links and sources: 

     http://www.yrityskuvalehti.com/aktia-nakee-jokaisessa-asiakkaassaan-ihmisen/

http://www.aktia.fi/en/investors/investing-in-aktia
 http://www.aktia.fi/en/about-aktia/group-information/group-information

//Mikael H

Aktia/ Segments & services

Segmenttikatsaus

 

Aktia Oyj:n liiketoiminta on jaettu neljään segmenttiin: Pankkitoiminta, Varainhoito, Henkivakuutus ja Muut. (Aktia Oyj Vuosikertomus 2012)

Konsernin liikevoitto jatkuvista toiminnoista segmenteittäin

(milj. euroa)                                              1-12/2012         1-12/2011                      Δ %

Pankkitoiminta (banking)                             39,2                    35,6                         10 %

Varainhoito        (financial)                            9,4                      5,6                           67 %

Henkivakuutus   (life insurance)                  14,7                     10,3                         43 %

Muut        (other)                                          -7,1                     -5,3                         -33 %

Eliminoinnit (eliminations)                           -0,2                     -1,5                           89 %

Yhteensä                                                       56,0                     44,6                         26 %

Aktiasta saat:

·    kaikki tarvitsemasi pankki-, vakuutus- ja kiinteistönvälityspalvelut

·    halutessasi saat henkilökohtaisen asiakasvastaavan, joka auttaa sinua kaikissa talouteesi liittyvissä kysymyksissä

·    esimerkiksi lainapäätöksen välittömästi omasta konttoristasi, koska kaikki Aktian konttorit toimivat paikallisesti

·    palvelua eri kanavien kautta, myös konttorien aukiolojen ulkopuolella, silloin kun sinulle parhaiten sopii

”Meille asiakas on ykkönen! Jokainen tarvitsee arkensa pyörittämiseen tietyt pankin peruspalvelut. Käytyämme yhdessä läpi toiveesi ja tarpeesi voimme koota sinulle sopivan kokonaisuuden, jotta arkesi olisi sujuvampi. Meille on helppo tulla asiakkaaksi; hoidamme pankinvaihdon puolestasi ja autamme sinua kaikkien talousasioittesi hoitamisessa, kaikissa elämänvaiheissasi. Paikallisuus ja henkilökohtainen palvelu ovat toimintamme peruspilareita.”

Vuoteen 2015 mennessä mm….

· Aktian tavoitteena on parantaa kilpailukykyä ja olla Suomen mestari valittujen asiakasryhmien palvelussa. Aktiassa panostetaan edelleen tehokkaaseen ja asiakasystävälliseen palveluun ja kehitetään taloudellisia ratkaisuja yksityistalouksille, yrittäjille, pienyrityksille ja instituutioille.

· Verkkopalvelujen ja vuonna 2012 käyttöön otetun uuden verkkopankin kehitystyö jatkuu.

· Aktian konttoriverkostoa kehitetään ja uudistetaan asteittain, ja henkilöstön osaamista vahvistetaan painopisteenä proaktiivinen vuoropuhelu asiakkaiden kanssa.

· Konsernin kustannusrakenteen parantamiseksi tehtävällä työllä on korkea prioriteetti.  Konsernirakenteen yksinkertaistaminen parantaa kustannustehokkuutta niin hallinnossa, prosesseissa kuin yhteisissä toiminnoissa.

// Laura

Customer service / Aktia

Aktia sees a person in every customer

It's Aktia's aim to be the best at helping our customers improve and safeguard their finances. Aktia offer private and corporate customers comprehensive banking, asset management, insurance and real estate agency services.

Aktia want to offer the best possible customer service and build up our solutions so that they fit in with the customer’s life situation. They also promise that:

·         All phone calls will be answered promptly and always by a real person

·         Customers get their own contact person if they so wish

·         All correspondence received via the Net bank’s message system and e-mail  messages will be answered within one working day

Core values

Our core values form the heart of what we consider to be right and where our priorities must lie. They also govern our actions.    

·         Responsibility
We bear a responsibility to our customers, owners and the local community by acting profitably, reliably and ethically.

·         Customer closeness
The staff at our local offices provide personal customer service in a respectful manner.

·         Security
We provide our customers with security and, through controlled risk taking, we ensure that the company is a secure employer and partner.

·         Individual service
We respect every individual, both customer and colleague. Togetherness, competence and job satisfaction are important cornerstones of One Aktia.

·         Active customer contact
We are modern and active, and we are committed.

// Laura

Meeting with Aktia

Today Jasmine and Mikael L from group Aktia 1 and Johannes and Max from group Aktia 2 went to a meeting to the Aktia offices in Turku. We got a tour in the bank and got to see the different parts of Aktia such as the real estate, private banking, investment and loaning "departments". Also we had time to ask questions and got some answers to them, even though we need some more information still.

Aktia is a smaller bank compared to the competitors and therefore they strive to be a more personal bank for every customer. Their slogan is something like "In every customer we see a person" (Aktia - Näkee jokaisessa asiakkaassaan ihmisen). Their goal is to have the best service in Finland in 2015 and we would be interested in knowing how they will do this and if they have an ace up in their sleeve. Also the bank organizes customer events where they offer food and drinks for customers.

Aktia doesn't have a call center that you get connected to when you call the bank, because they want the customer to get in contact with a person right away. But they do have a call center that contacts customers on a regular basis to get to know what's going on in their life and what kinds of services they would need. This is a good service, because it shows the bank cares about their customers and that you're not just one among others.

// Jasmine & Mikael L

We got caps! :D

The 10 Keys of Excellent Customer Service

Words alone are very powerful and they have a big influence what your employees and customers think. If you don’t set both of these groups’ expectations up front, your company will never be able to excel in customer service. Focus on these 10 keys:

1. Belief: What customers think is true. Unfortunately, it may not be supported by the facts. Understand that they will hold on to this truth and do not fight to change their mind. Apologize and then try to come up with a satisfactory solution.

2. Complain: What a customer does when they are unhappy. They complain to friends, on social media, and even sometimes to you. Your business reputation is only as good as your customer’s last experience. Everyone that interacts with your customers should understand this.

3. My Manager: The person the customer is seemingly always getting passed to or who always gets blamed by the employee if something goes wrong. See empowerment.

4. Empowerment: Training employees to make decisions on their own to help a customer without talking to “the boss.” This needs to happen 95% of the time. The boss should only handle exceptions.

5. Feedback: Giving the customer the opportunity to tell you what they think in many ways at different stages the transaction. Follow the Three Times Rule—if you hear something about your business three times, whether you like it or not, pay serious attention. It is probably true. Take action.

6. Kick the Cat: What employees do when they take their frustrations out on the customer. Find another way for employees to vent by encouraging easy feedback directly to management.

7. Mistake: The hardest thing for the company to admit. Once you admit it, the customer will be happier.

8. Overpromise: Making a commitment to a customer that the company is not economically able to keep. This is not a solid base for sustained excellent customer service.

9.  Peer Reviews or Earned Media: Online references written by customers on the level of quality or service in your company. This is sometimes called an open reputation system.

10. Pest: A customer the company may need to fire to be more profitable. Be quick to identify and replace them.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/aileron/2012/11/15/the-10-keys-of-excellent-customer-service/

//Laura

The Future of Banking Services

The Future of Banking Services

Edited by Jaakko Aspara, Risto Rajala and Virpi Kristiina Tuunainen

I read the book The Future of Banking Services for our book assignment. It is a rather comprehensive piece of literature that covers a lot of topics concerning the future of banking and which features the banking services will include in the times to come. It was published in 2012 by the Aalto University of Economics in Helsinki.

The book starts off with the chapter Special Report – The Future of Banking Services from the Consumer Perspective. It introduces a study of the possible roles of banking in our everyday life in the future. The editors made a study that was made among young people in several countries. One of the main observations made was that the young customers appreciate a good, trusty relationship with the bank and its personnel. They look for long-term relationships with banks and put a high value on trustworthy, expert personnel. Efficiency and creative solutions are also highly valued characteristics among banks and their personnel.
The study was made from the customers’ point of view, and the main goal was to investigate the attitude of young customers toward banking services. The editors also wanted to outline what the future of banking services could be like. The rest of the book is a report of how the results of the study practically could be implemented; personalization of services, building of long-term relationships and innovative banking solutions.

-Mikael L

Global Service Jam

As our topic this year will be about "banking service design" I thought it would be good to share my experience of service design to you. GSJ is a happening that I participated a while ago with service design as the main theme. It's a worldwide happening and you have a time limit of only 48h to have an idea ready. A good collection of videos based on service design and it can be good to watch to get a grip and see examples of service design.

Videos from Finland and other parts of the world: http://www.youtube.com/user/ServiceJamTurku
The blog from the happening in Turku: http://servicejamturku.wordpress.com/

// Micke

Aktia: Banking Service Design

Hi! So it's Monday again and yet another "working" week begins. Today I attended the team leader meeting at Turun AMK and we got to know what company we're going to work with and what our keyword for the project is. As you maybe already guessed from the blog post title, our group is going to work with Aktia and the keyword we got is "Banking Service Design". So from this we have to build up our own understanding on what the actual project might be and read theory before the intensive period at Kunstenniemi in April where we're going to start with the actual project. On Friday we have our first "working day" from 9 AM to 3 PM, and to that every team member has to bring three books each on interesting topics that we can use as theory for the project. From those books we'll choose a minimum of one each and read it and later on you'll see what the book was about and what we thought about it here on the blog. That's about all I know for now.

One interesting thing I noticed at the meeting today was that just three out of twelve of the team leaders were women; I was wondering if that was just a coincidence, do we have more guys doing this course or are women just afraid of "leader" positions? Well this is a topic that is interesting, but maybe not something we want to take an opinion on during this course. I do not take this leader position as blood serious since it just happened that I had the time to attend this meeting and I think everyone in the group are equal in every matter. Everyone should do aprox. the same amount of work and be as active as anyone. Well it was just one of those things I notice. Bye now!

/ Jasmine

Picture from here.