Contactless transactions must still have human touch – UnionBank CX chief

In an age of social distancing where contactless solutions are the preferred options, companies must not forget that there is still a need for human touch in these transactions in order for them to become more meaningful for the end users.

On the third installment of Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank)’s virtual gathering with media on August 19, the leading digital bank’s chief customer experience officer and consumer finance center head Ana Delgado said a contactless experience does not mean “an experience devoid of human feelings and interactions.”

“Rather, we feel that the experience should still, perhaps even more at this time, allow people to connect with each other,” Delgado said during the webinar series that focused on contactless banking solutions and their importance in the new normal.

UnionBank has always employed a human-centric approach when it comes to the creation of digital solutions, and part of this is ensuring that customers are able to enjoy contactless experiences that are seamless while still being able to create meaningful human connections, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic where physical interactions must be minimized as much as possible.

“What we are now focusing on is how we can increase the ability for people to connect to other people as they are doing financial transactions in a contactless world. For instance, when buying things via viber groups, how do we design our receipts to be more friendly? How do we make it easier for people to transfer using QR code?” Delgado said.

More than looking at the features that they currently have, Delgado pointed out how UnionBank is redesigning and repositioning these features. This is ingrained in a continuous cycle of testing, redefining, and deploying that allows them to deliver contactless solutions that address the different pain points of customers when making financial transactions online.

“We are constantly reviewing what we’ve launched. When we look at our design process, there are several layers to it. We always start with the customer and are led by the customer, which is why we have a purely digital and a hybrid approach,” she added.

Amid the pandemic where lockdown levels can change at any time, UnionBank doubled down on its commitment to respond quickly to the ever changing needs of customers, which the bank pins on its agile work culture.

“We expect that we will learn about more things that need to be prioritized, and I think, thanks to our agile way of working as part of our digital transformation, we are confident that we will be able to respond quickly,” Delgado said.