Operations Transformation - Case Studies
A global bank looking to streamline its centralized East European processing centre in Hungary.
Scope of Work
This central processing capability handled expense payments for several countries across Eastern Europe. It had team of 20+ staff that worked in three parallel teams and handled seven distinctly different end-to-end processes. We were requested to help address increasing delays and service quality concerns in the face of increasing transaction volumes.
Outcome
A team of two BankT&D consultants went on-site for four days to undertake a comprehensive analysis of the process flow, information flow, staffing resources, their roles and work-scheduling routines. Experienced BankT&D process improvement consultants used our advanced ‘Business Analyst’ software tools, to capture and analyze all of the required workflow information and data. This pointed out concrete process performance indicators like turnaround times, bottlenecks etc. Using the powerful simulation capability of our process analytical tool, capacity projections were made on the basis of envisaged changes in transaction volumes, the streamlined process, allocation and timing of staffing resources. This analysis provided a sound and safe basis of making changes is all aspects of the processing environment. Result was a substantial improvement in productivity.
A major fast-expanding Islamic Bank in UAE
Scope of Work
The bank was embarking on substantial growth of its Consumer Finance business and wanted to engineer upfront major improvement of all related end-to-end processes. It also wanted to complete a realistic capacity plan so that impending increase in transaction volumes could be achieved at improved margins.
Outcome
A team of three BankT&D consultants and business and business analysts went on-site for a week to collect the ‘As- Is’ process flows that involved three financing products with three different origination and delivery channels (branches, direct sales team and web). This information was captured and analyzed using our powerful tools and methodology that allowed simulation of all the processing variables (changes in workflow, staff roles, work scheduling etc.). A brainstorming session of all the related users and stakeholders allowed creation of a list of possible changes and improvements.
Next step was creation of ‘Should-Be’ processes and also a dynamic capacity model. This was used to simulate and decide on final set of desired process and resource changes. We then proceeded to help the customer plan implementation of the agreed changes at user, process and IT infrastructure level.
The bank appreciated the value of this exercise so much that it subsequently asked that the scope of the assignment be expanded to cover all of their operational units. Result was not only a sound capacity plan but rapid and tangible improvements in service quality, customer responsiveness, controls and staff productivity. These improvements are monitored on a real-time basis through ‘QualityTrack’ tools that include fully automated ‘dashboards’. These dashboards provide dynamic information about actual performance against target quality standards.
A fast growing bank in Pakistan that was subsequently acquired by an international bank
Scope of Work
Rapid automation of manual and semi-automated processes across the bank
Outcome
Faced with high staff turnover, fast growth of SME and Consumer customer portfolio and a relatively lower revenue-to-expense ratio as compared to competitors, the bank sought assistance for rapid improvement as well as automation of its numerous processes. These processes had remained predominantly manual because part of the entire processes in question fell outside their numerous core systems.
BankT&D first trained the staff of this bank on use of our unique rapid automation tools that help wage a war on manual processes. These tools allow rapid prototyping of automation by allowing end-users to start with process diagrams captured using Business Analyst. User were then able to envisage, design and attach electronic forms at key points within the process flow (using an easy to use, drag and drop form designer environment), and configure these using ‘software wizards’. IT is asked to get involved in development of interfaces with other banking systems only when the users and business analysts have developed fully working prototypes on their own.
The bank liked the capability so much and users found them so easy to deploy that they created a dedicated internal team that was trained by us. This team was soon able to identify, develop and deploy new applications on their own. This reduced dependence on external consultants allowed them to rapidly automate their numerous manual processes in a very cost-effective and rapid manner. Dozens of these applications were developed and deployed by their team.
It is important to note that the international bank that acquired this local bank continued to seek our assistance in development of new applications aimed at rapidly automating manual processes.
