Td Case - offering Convenience and Human Experiences with Video Calling

TD Consulting Case

Offering Convenience and Human Experiences with Video Calling

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Luke Bawden

Final Copy

To: TD Bank Group

From: Luke Bawden

Date: October 2017

Subject: Using Video Calling to Deliver on Brand Promise

Recommendation: Introduce video calling as a means of communication between customers and the bank.

TD is faced with the issue that 25% of consumers were planning on switching banks in 2017 (Forrester, 2016). This is a result of the underlying issue that as technology improves, customers count on an increase of convenience and technology from the companies they deal with. Banks must be ahead of the game when it comes to these technological leaps, exploring new opportunities and meeting customer needs. To offer customers a solution to their growing needs, I recommend that TD introduce video calling software into their customer service repertoire. The first part of this is scheduled video calls with local branch employees, allowing people to maintain the personal relationship that they have with their branch while also being able to enjoy the convenience of their own homes. The second part of the solution involves adding a video call option to the “Contact Us” part of the TD website, which will help to fix customers problems more quickly and smoothly. This will also use screen mirroring technology that will improve the flow of communication from TD’s end of the call. All of this combines to offer a smooth and convenient method by which TD customers can engage with their bank. As seen in Exhibit 1, if TD implements this service, they will be among the first banks in Canada to offer it. This will earn TD an improved reputation with consumers and increased loyalty, seen in Exhibit 3.

Decision Criteria

My decision criteria are taken from TD’s new brand promise:

1. Provide personal human experiences
2. Offer proactive advice and solutions
3. Experience convenient and timely interactions

Analysis

Video calling provides personal human experiences.

Instead of automated advice online or virtual tellers, video calling offers a personal approach to convenient online banking. Working with the first pillar of TD’s brand promise, this solution combines personal human experiences with an introduction of helpful technology.  Customers now have the choice of receiving help online from a real person, face-to-face. Talking to someone like this makes it easier to solve problems and communicate effectively using gestures and facial expressions (Baker, M., Milutinovic, J., 2017), facilitating the helping process.

Video calling helps to provide customers with proactive advice and solutions.

The goal of this solution is to combine convenience and personal human experiences with proactive advice. Customers will use this service to receive advice and solutions from TD, providing them with a service that suits their needs. On top of being convenient, this is proactive in the sense that it helps to deal with growing customer needs in regards to technology before customers have asked for it. This helps to solidify the position that TD cares about its customers, and is willing to be on the forefront of technology-driven customer service.

Video calling is convenient, simple and timely.

This solution really stands out when connected to this pillar. As seen in Exhibit 2, 39% of consumers are wanting to access bank resources without having to go to a branch (“Bank on it: Canadians want more from their financial institutions online,” 2017), and this recommendation offers a convenient alternative to a branch visit while also maintaining the human aspect of the visit. On top of this, video calling is a technology that many people are already comfortable with using, as it has become a staple of daily life making it simple for customers to use when compared to other technologies. Video calling would be timely as well, with people not having to wait in bank waiting rooms for their appointments, instead being able to wait in the comfort of their own homes. Customers will also be able to avoid travel times to get to the bank, taking away another unnecessary annoyance for the customers. When customers are in their own homes while meeting with TD, they will be more comfortable in their environment, and in turn are more likely to feel more comfortable about the meeting and their financial futures. It also helps people with problems online who can now talk to employees face to face, and see instructions on what they should do laid out on their screens. This is timely for TD as well, as it can be implemented within their 60-day time limit as mentioned in the Q&A.

Implementation Plan

For this project to succeed, in the short run TD must set up a team for development and for design, purchase equipment, train employees and market the service. After the launch, customer needs must be listened and responded to. More detail can be seen in Exhibit 4, and I should mention that although marketing and listening to feedback stop at week 10, they should be continued at the discretion of the bank.

Risk and Contingency Plan

There is a risk that the technology will be hard to pull off or that customers will not be satisfied with the technology. In this case, it will be a safe to partner with an organization that already has experience with this, such as Vidyo (Vidyo, 2017). Vidyo has already set up a similar service for many companies, including banks. Another risk comes with the underdevelopment of the service when it is deployed. To truly be remarkable and innovative for customers, the service must be running smoothly when it is launched. Besides these potential risks, the implementation of a video calling service is mostly risk-free, as it is an optional service for customers.