Elevating CX in
Consumer Banking

Over the last several years consumers have become more demanding than ever when it comes to their expectations around a brand’s service and experience. And in the rapidly evolving landscape of consumer banking, the stakes are even higher. Consumers expect seamless and frictionless experiences as they look to manage their hard-earned dollars. I’m a big believer that the brands that win hearts and minds are those that make their customers’ lives easier. As easy as that sounds, it’s often difficult and challenging to do right. And as we navigate our very own customer experience (CX) transformation at Barclays US Consumer Bank, there are a few valuable strategies we’ve leaned into and implemented into our process to make the lives of our customers easier, saving them time and energy, and hopefully delighting them along the way.

Mindset and Culture

Creating a customer-obsessed organization really starts with culture and mindset. It’s not about product features or call handling time. It’s about the customer, what they’re thinking, how they’re engaging with us, and what problems we need to solve for them. To help reinforce this mindset, we employ call listening across the bank. Every weekly executive committee meeting starts with listening to a customer call, which sheds light on the things we’re doing well and where we need to improve. In addition, our marketing team meets face-to-face with customers to understand first-hand what they want, what matters most to them, what frustrates them, and it always provides a lightbulb moment. It’s a good reminder that everything we do should be in service of the customer and their experience.

The Customer Journey and Moments that Matter

So much has been written and discussed about the importance of understanding the customer journey, and it’s all true. Identifying the most common journeys a customer has with your brand, and their experience during each of these journeys is critical. Having a baseline of the journey today and mapping out a future state that is delightful and frictionless is where the magic lies. In our business, we are very much focused on understanding the moments that truly matter. I refer to this as the beautiful basics, and getting it right is critical. For example, in our business, making a payment on your credit card must be seamless and frictionless. 

Metrics and Measurement

Now, it’s time to measure and monitor. The real key is understanding where the pain points are and how to continuously iterate to deliver delightful and impactful experiences. At Barclays, we take both an inside-out and outside-in view. We set ambitious goals for metrics like rNPS, tNPS and internal customer satisfaction benchmarks, but we’re also laser-focused on external benchmarking inside and outside our industry to really understand what good looks like and how customer expectations constantly evolve. We also make data and performance metrics available to our colleagues so that everyone knows how we’re performing in the eyes of our customer.

Democratization of CX Ownership

A centralized team with a shared focus on driving CX strategy across the organization continues to be a winning formula for us. Each customer journey has an executive-level sponsor and team of cross-functional leaders focused on driving and optimizing the experience within the journey. This approach allows us to improve prioritization of our investment against customer outcomes. Accountability and, of course, a healthy dose of CX obsession is critical to success. 

As we continue our customer experience transformation, our commitment to understanding and meeting our customers' needs remains at the forefront of our strategy, ensuring we build lasting relationships based on trust and satisfaction. Our aim is simple: we want every customer to be delighted and satisfied with the service they receive from us, and we want each experience to be better than the last.

This information is for educational purposes only, not intended to be financial or legal advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before taking any action based on this information. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, or opinion of Barclays Bank Delaware.

Lili Tomovich
Chief Marketing and Experience Officer, Barclays US Consumer Bank

Lili Tomovich is the Chief Marketing and Experience Officer for Barclays US Consumer Bank where she oversees customer experience, customer revenue and relationship marketing, marketing technology, channel strategy & optimization, brand, creative & sponsorships, product & partner marketing, consumer insights and research. Lili is a transformational marketing executive who has spent her career building leading brands in the financial services, retail, entertainment, and hospitality industries across the US and Canada.

Lili is a member of the board of directors of Dine Brands Global and WaterWalk by Wyndham Hotels. She holds an MBA from Wayne State University and a Bachelor of Arts from Brock University.