Metro Bank First Start-up Collaboration Programme – Phase 1 Update
Metro Bank kicked off its first start-up accelerator programme developed with the innovation specialist L Marks in September with three start-up partners - Metro Bank Magic Makers - and the initial results look very promising. Metro Bank is putting the Magic Makers through a rigorous test and trial programme to determine if any of the new technologies will be ultimately employed. The initial 10-week immersive Magic Makers’ programme has just hit the halfway mark with the three successful start-ups Surfly, Solidatus and PolyAI presenting their insights and initial results.
Surfly's Co-browsing technology is designed to curb customer frustrations by empowering customer resolution. The online system allows colleagues and customers to not only share screens (with all sensitive information masked), but also trade control back and forth to help pinpoint where the customer needs help resolving an issue. Video chat is also possible and colleagues can complete information on a customer’s behalf to speed up digital applications.
Kat Robinson, customer experience director of Metro Bank said: “We are looking to invest in innovative solutions which create Metro Bank Magic Moments, bringing real benefits to our customers, as well as improving how we operate. Surfly is potentially a real game changer as it offers genuine human interactions in the digital space – making customer resolution quicker and less painful for colleagues and customers alike. We are now looking forward to mass testing with colleagues during phase two.”
Solidatus enables organisations to map and manage data effectively. As organisations grow legacy issues are created as data becomes clogged within systems and processes that aren’t able to talk to each other, or function well together. Solidatus helps resolve these issues by delivering solutions that map and track data, processes and data flow across an organisation, to create a digital blueprint.
The Solidatus blueprint not only highlights any potential gaps or issues with data, but also provides two major benefits. Firstly it creates data transparency – essential for regulated financial services to share with regulators. Secondly, it can look at the implications of change, identifying new low risk and faster solutions.
Kat Robinson, customer experience director of Metro Bank said: “We have already created over 20 models and believe Solidatus will make a significant impact in every area of our business.”
PolyAI is a superhuman voice assistant. We are all used to voice assistants in our homes or on our phones, but unlike these assistants, which can only answer simple questions, PolyAI is able to respond to natural conversation from customers and complex requests – in any accent!
Commenting on the technology, Kat Robinson, customer experience director of Metro Bank said: “PolyAI is an exciting development in call centre technology and we’re keen to see how it performs and of course how our customers and colleagues respond. The PolyAI technology can help route calls to the right agent directly, removing the need to pick from a menu of options. It could be a helpful addition to our call centre capabilities, particularly when experiencing periods of high call volumes, enabling us to maintain our commitment to superior and friendly customer service.”
Daniel Saunders, chief executive of L Marks said: “The engagement between Metro Bank and the three start-ups has demonstrated the power of collaboration and the possibility of what can be achieved through innovation. We have witnessed a meeting of minds between the entrepreneurs and the Metro Bank teams and, as we continue through the final few weeks of Magic Makers, we look forward to seeing the solutions and relationships developing further to accelerate the future of banking.”