Redefining Customer Experience in Saudi Banking

KPME Redefining Customer Experience in Saudi Banking

The Background

The financial services industry has long recognized that improving customer service is crucial for growth. Banks that prioritize customer satisfaction tend to grow 3.2x faster than their rivals, gaining increased revenue, a larger customer base, and a distinctive competitive edge.

Our client, a leading commercial bank headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is driving a customer-centric transformation. With a substantial presence in multiple countries, the bank is playing a key role in Saudi Arabia’s economic development, aligned with the nation’s Vision 2030. Their commitment to improving customer relationships is central to shaping the future of banking in the region.

The Challenge

After gathering feedback from its branch network, the bank identified specific areas for improvement in its customer experience delivery. While the bank had maintained a solid performance, it realized there was an opportunity to enhance employee training and further prioritize customer interactions. To maintain its competitive edge, the bank sought to implement a comprehensive training program across all branches, ensuring that employees were equipped to consistently provide personalized, high-quality service.

The challenge was to create a unified approach to customer service that would be embraced by employees across all regions and branches. This would require a strategic training initiative to instill the necessary skills and mindsets, enhancing service delivery and customer satisfaction.

The Solution

To address this need, the bank partnered with Kaplan to design and implement a customized training program. The training program was specifically tailored to the bank’s objectives, focusing on improving customer service and employee engagement across its branch network.

The training was delivered across key regions to ensure a consistent service standard throughout the organization. Participants were introduced to a tailored operating model for customer service excellence, designed to meet the unique needs of the bank. This framework covered essential areas such as communication, problem-solving, time management, empathy, and maintaining a professional image—all vital components of a superior customer service experience.

Employees were also trained on the importance of staying informed about the bank’s latest offerings, enabling them to provide proactive, knowledgeable support to customers. Practical problem-solving techniques were also emphasized to equip employees with the tools needed to resolve customer issues swiftly and effectively.

The program successfully engaged 45 cohorts, marking a significant milestone in the bank’s journey towards service excellence and setting a new benchmark for customer experience in the financial sector.

The Impact

The program achieved remarkable success, with an impressive 99% satisfaction rating across essential elements of the training. This comprehensive evaluation included the overall course delivery, the trainer’s expertise, the engagement level of in-class activities, and the relevance of the training materials.

Following the successful rollout, participants demonstrated significant improvements in key customer service skills, such as using positive language, active listening, and building rapport. These skills empowered employees to deliver more effective, empathetic, and personalized customer interactions.