Every bank wants to achieve a centralized and structured view of their customer data, as well as the powerful business benefits such a view can deliver. So what’s stopping banks from reaching this data destination? And what can they do to get themselves back on course?
The potential benefits of achieving this data view are profound. They include the ability to create and launch innovative products quickly. The ability to offer zero-time onboarding. And the potential for transforming an old-fashioned bank into a new-age digital wallet, one that “understands” the customer and offers them both long- and short-term financial products.
These benefits are not unique to banking. Yet in comparison with other industries, banking has found the goal of bringing together data from different departments of the organization to be especially elusive. To achieve a true 360-degree view of customers, bank data needs to be not only integrated — a serious challenge in itself — but also correctly structured and properly secured.
Leading-edge banks will also gain the ability to integrate customer data from external sources. That might include data from the customer’s e-car, smart home and online shopping.
Quality over quantity
What’s holding back many banks from making more progress? One issue is their mistaken belief that more data is good data. The fact is, many banks already have an abundance of data. The question is, then, do they have the right data? And are they using that data for decision-making and, even more important, strategic and tactical action?
The evidence suggests not. In an Economist Impact survey, six in 10 executives said they’d canceled a digital project for lack of the right data.
Research by DXC Leading Edge has identified three primary states that are supported by data. Each stage has its own unique data requirements:
- Discover: Here, a bank seeks information and engages in new methods to help a company evolve and advance. This means looking to better understand your customers and identify new products and services that meet their needs.
- Develop: In this state, banks are making strategic decisions, and they can use data to balance risk and reward. Done right, data-driven action supports growth and drives higher revenue.
- Defend: Once innovations have been delivered to the marketplace, a bank needs to protect its resources and maintain its overall health and viability. This includes meeting compliance, legal and regulatory requirements.
The ability to use data for competitive advantage depends on a healthy data metabolism. That means getting the right flow of data and insights at the right time and speed to optimize decision-making.
Transform to evolve
For many banks, reaching their customer-data destination may require them to first take a virtual step sideways, in order to transform their core systems. A bank that fails to do this may find the path to creative evolution blocked.
Most banks will need to transform their core bank systems so that they’re able to better transact, manage risk more dynamically, conform smarter and offer efficiencies to reduce system debt and release costs. These goals may require actions that include moving some systems to the cloud, automating others, and even replacing and updating some legacy systems or be smart when sweating assets.
There’s another issue that banks need to be aware of. The same data that empowers banking customers also makes it easier for them to switch banks. Customers can move from bank to bank, jumping between different products. And because they can quickly onboard those products, once they’re done, they can simply throw them away. Clearly, a balance needs to be achieved.
How DXC can help you
DXC Technology has decades of experience in implementing advanced systems that manage data for many industries, including banking and capital markets.
DXC professionals help banks build modern core banking platforms that can take relevant data and insights and embed them into business processes, so the right person at the right time has access to the right data and insights to make important decisions in a data-driven way. DXC does this at scale, so data-driven insights can translate into business outcomes.
About the authors
Andy Haigh is the head of Banking and Capital Markets for the EMEA region at DXC Technology. He is also head of the Commercial sector for UK&I at DXC. With over 20 years of industry experience, Andy focuses on driving growth through building industry-relevant solutions that solve customers’ challenges, managing client relationships and leading business-development activities. Prior to joining DXC, Andy worked for banks in various global roles driving IT transformation. He was also part of the successful growth journey of Excelian and Luxoft’s financial-services line of business.
Mohammed 'Khal' Khalid is the global advisory director at DXC Technology. Khal helps customers make change happen in an increasingly digital world. As a business leader at DXC Leading Edge, Khal is experienced in helping CXOs and their organizations exploit technology. He’s also a humanist with a deep interest in how we learn and develop for success, and how we overcome failure. Khal has strong coaching skills and is prepared to be open and vulnerable with colleagues and customers to help them achieve results.