Transforming NatWest’s experience

• Overview

• Field research

• Findings

• Project scope

• Rapid prototyping

• Results

Overview

NatWest was undergoing a digital transformation and rebrand. Branches received a clean, contemporary facelift. 4500 staff members including senior personal bankers and managers received iPads. The bank sought to develop an iPad app that would make it simple for employees to explain insurance products to customers.

I consulted with NatWest, leading product design for one year between Jan 2016 — Dec 2016. I had the privilege of working along side UX designer Paul Cook and iOS developer Matt Green.

Field research

We visited branches to learn about the personal banker and customer experiences. I was curious how personal bankers discussed insurance with their customers:

• Where did the discussions take place?

• Were they formal meetings?

• Did the personal bankers stick to a script?

• How did they make use of the supporting materials?

• What if customers had queries that they couldn't answer?

Findings

Small meeting rooms were used for conversations across a desk. They didn't seem to have a set structure and changed from one meeting to the next.

A summary sheet gave a rundown of key product information that was frequently referred to. Customers often asked questions that weren't covered in the summary, which left the employees searching for solutions. They searched online, looked through printouts, and even went outside the room to consult a coworker or collect printouts.

The summary sheet was A3, double sided and contained an overwhelming amount of information:

These were our key findings.

Customers:

• Complex and overwhelming summary sheet

• Multiple pamphlets and printouts

• Inconsistent information provided

• Lengthy insurance quote process

• Limited explanations of product tiers

• Price of add-ons not being explained clearly

• Unclear explanation of 3 year fixed pricing

Personal bankers:

• No single location of information

• Weak conversational skills

• Inadequate understanding of products

• Slow and outdated computer hardware

The challenges faced by the personal bankers contributed in a disjointed customer experience.

Project scope

Although iPads were recently rolled out, they were only being used to browse the internet. Our ambition was to create a custom built iOS tablet app.

The key functions of the app needed to:

• Be the single point of reference for all product information

• Act as a technical resource — providing answers to common questions

• Provide a structure for conversations about insurance

• Function as a presentation tool — making products easier to understand

• Provide key information to achieve the highest levels of compliance

Rapid prototyping

The aim of the app was to provide a single source of information for both the customer and the personal banker. The idea was to create a presenting tool and training resource for the personal banker. At certain points the iPad could be handed over to the customer to help explain certain products. The screens in pink represent where both the customer and personal banker can interact with the app:

We built a prototype shortly afterwards to test our concepts with both personal bankers and customers:

One of the main benefits of a digital experience was how we could display information. Printed versions of comparison tables for example were complicated and would create cognitive overload. As we weren’t constrained to an A3 page or leaflet we could pace the content across multiple screens. The re-designed versions made the content easy to read and understand:

More detailed information could be viewed with the information panel. This allowed for a clean and scannable layout:

I made scripts that personal bankers could follow and read out loud to customers. This made explaining products both easy and consistent. Macro and micro copy was carefully crafted to simplify complicated products. Call to actions signified when terms and conditions needed to be read to customers:

Some products required re-designing from the ground up. Customers would often struggle to understand how 3 year fixed pricing worked. Infographics help explain products in both an interactive and visual way. These can be used by the personal banker to present a product. The iPad can also be handed to the customer to browse and understand content in their own time.

Search was a key feature we included. This made finding content and documents significantly quicker and easier:

Videos were another effective way to share information with customers:

Instant chat was another feature we considered essential. This meant answers to questions could be found quickly and discreetly. This allowed the conversation to remain uninterrupted and would avoid the need for the personal banker to leave the meeting room:

Results

We launched the app across all NatWest & RBS branches after a successful six week pilot. Meetings time reduced by 28% and mystery shopper scores dramatically improved. We saw significant improvements in overall customer experience and increased insurance product sales by 14%.