Opinion article: "Financial sector: humanising technology for a successful digital transformation"

We live in a scenario of constant transformation, driven by technological advances and changes in consumer behaviour, which are revolutionising the market. As a result, financial institutions must remain under constant monitoring, adjusting their processes and working methods. In this context, digital transformation and the customer experience are determining factors for the success of companies, making it essential to develop user-centered products and services.
 
Customer experience is therefore one of the pillars of digital transformation. Organisations use technology in their processes to improve and boost their results, but to remain competitive they need to keep up with trends and foresee possible market needs.
 
One of the main advantages of digital transformation is the ability to take advantage of the best of technology, namely the collecting and storing of data transmitted by customers, which makes it possible to better understand their behaviour and know their preferences. Financial institutions can significantly improve their relationship with customers through immersive experiences, enhanced by technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, business intelligence, and data analysis. By transforming the data collected into valuable insights for the business, organisations can create and improve their products and services, as well as define new strategies to meet customer needs, by promoting loyalty, greater satisfaction, and better business performance.

However, technology alone does not guarantee a successful relationship. To be competitive, companies in the financial sector need to have strategies that promote a good customer experience. These strategies include humanising technology, having user experience (UX) as a mindset and framework rooted in the company's culture, and developing digital products that respond to customers' needs and exceed their expectations. To do this, digital products need to be developed not as a mere service, but on the foundation of the experience they can provide to the user. It is in co-creation that the best results can be found, with the collaboration of multidisciplinary teams aligned in both purpose and objective, thus promoting creativity and overcoming technological and business barriers, leading to innovative, fast, and effective results. In this way, financial institutions will have to be able to adjust, adopting agile methodologies focused on continuous improvement.
 
It's no secret that customers expect immediate and convenient service, differentiated experiences and seamless interactions with brands. Personalising the customer experience is a key factor in customer satisfaction and in fostering a lasting relationship. Therefore, to impress and retain customers, it is necessary to simplify day-to-day operations with fluid omnichannel journeys and 100% digital, fast, personalised and mobile-first experiences.

All digital solutions must be monitored, tested and evaluated to understand the effectiveness of customer experiences and identify aspects for improvement and optimisation. The user experience is essential for the business, it leads to greater customer satisfaction, trust and loyalty, and it allows for the development of digital products with added value, by minimising development costs and time. In addition, we can increase user efficiency, the number of sales and subscriptions to services, by reducing the number of customer service contacts.
 
The humanisation of technology is an ongoing and fundamental process for financial institutions to thrive in the digital age. By transforming their customers' information into valuable insights to create a simpler and more engaging digital experience, they are promoting loyalty and gaining a competitive advantage in an increasingly digital and customer-centered market.

News: Exame Informática