New mobile and e-banking as the basis for next-generation customer interaction

Roger Sutter: Basically, we wanted a modular, more open architecture that would enable us to develop the system more quickly and cost-effectively and make it easy to integrate third-party systems. As our previous e-banking system did not meet these requirements, we evaluated various options and eventually settled on the ti&m solution. In the project itself, the most important requirement was that the implementation of the new solution, including the migration, had to be completed by the end of June 2024 and that we could continue to offer our customers the existing functions. The focus was therefore not on further development, but on replacement with a modern, open and future-oriented solution that can be easily expanded. Nevertheless, we have added a few new features: Key developments include the integration of debit and credit card management, the ability to upload QR-bills directly in the app, and the switch from photoTAN to pushTAN for logging in. In terms of design, it was important to us that ti&m implemented the new mobile and e-banking system in accordance with the Baloise CI/CD specifications. 

Roger Sutter: The requirements defined at the beginning covered most of it. It was mainly interface enhancements for business customers that were added during the project. We also encountered a number of minor issues as the project progressed, but these were quickly resolved. 

Roger Sutter: We conducted a survey among our customers and sales employees. The results were very useful in terms of new features that the users felt were previously missing. Overall, we closely followed the ti&m standard: We didn’t want to define and develop everything individually; we wanted a high-quality solution like the one ti&m offers with its mobile and e-banking product. 

Roger Sutter: We carried out a very comprehensive evaluation, in which the solution from ti&m emerged as the winner. In addition to meeting our front and back-end requirements, we also evaluated usability, collaboration, the roadmap and other aspects. What particularly impressed us about ti&m was the high level of usability, the good collaboration and the extensive coverage of our requirements, especially with regard to future expansion. 

Roger Sutter: We were under a lot of time pressure. The old e-banking system had to be switched off at the end of June 2024 – there was no room for maneuver. The limited resources were noticeable on all sides, for us and for our partners. We knew that issues would arise during the project that would need to be resolved quickly. It was clear to us what we actually wanted – but the details of the features had to be implemented at short notice in some cases. Technologically, the Avaloq integration was the biggest challenge. The migration was no easy task either, especially for our customer support team. We hired new people on a temporary basis and included them in testing at an early stage. This allowed them to get to know the new solution very early on, which had a positive effect on the quality of support during the migration. 

Roger Sutter: We were faced with the ques- tion of either migrating all our customers in one big bang or gradually migrating them group by group. We decided on the second option and gave our customers the opportu- nity to carry out the migration themselves. In our view, this is more customer-friendly and has the great advantage for the support team that the volume of customer queries is distributed. Technologically, however, this variant is more challenging than a big bang. We informed each customer group individ- ually and provided simple instructions for the changeover. If they didn’t complete the changeover within two weeks, we switched off the old e-banking system and sent the new login details by post. 

Nicolas Samyn: There were three types of customers: those who carried out the mi- gration themselves, those who tried but needed support, and those who didn’t even try, and simply waited for the new login data. Most of the feedback about the new mobile and e-banking system has been very positive. What I’m especially pleased about is that although App Store ratings often ini- tially deteriorate after a changeover and only gradually improve, our rating has remained high throughout. Of course, there were one or two changes that some customers didn’t like, but we expected that. 

Nicolas Samyn: The award recognizes our commitment to pioneering solutions that offer our customers a modern and effi cient bank ing experience. It is also great recogni- tion for the entire project team, who worked on it with so much dedication and commitment. 

Roger Sutter: It was clear very early on that we would need additional resources in various areas. In order to free up internal re- sources, we therefore decided at an early stage to put a stop to all other projects. This gave us the strength we needed to get the project across the fi nishing line on time. 

Nicolas Samyn: We have not made any structural changes, but our processes are fundamentally different, thanks to ti&m Banking. We were used to carrying out one or two releases per year. Now, we can use the new solution to continuously plan new releases and import them on a monthly basis. This also means that we no longer have to carry out releases in separate projects, but can work on further developments with an existing, agile team. This was one of the major goals that we achieved with the ti&m solution: to get closer to our customers by adding new functions in regular releases. 

Nicolas Samyn: Very positively! They are delighted with the new solution. No doubt it also helped that we gave our employees a demo version in advance. This allowed them to test the new banking solution, which increases acceptance. 

Nicolas Samyn: The architecture and the modern code base make maintenance much easier and more efficient. New releases were very time-consuming in the old system and had to be tested intensively. As a rule, we needed three or four attempts per release. Now, we test and then roll out the new features. By making it easier to integrate third parties, we have now created the basis for merging our two customer portals: the insurance portal and the banking portal. With the new technological basis, we can now also take a strategic approach to open banking initiatives to offer our customers an overall view of their finances. 

Roger Sutter: The most important thing is the people and the team spirit, so that even when there are differences of opinion, everyone still interacts very well and maintains a very open relationship. The solution should always take center stage. All the partners involved and our employees were prepared to go the extra mile. This point was part of our tendering process. We carried out small projects with the various providers to test the collaboration. We had already harmonized well with ti&m during these collaborative tests, and this was confirmed during the project. I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize ti&m’s commitment, its technological expertise, its openness and the positive way we worked together.

Nicolas Samyn: Tidying up is the order of the day in the short term. Once a project of this size has been completed, there are many small things here and there that need revising. Of course, we have also evaluated the customer feedback, and this will be incorporated in our further development. Regulatory requirements also have to be implemented regularly. In the long term, one thing is clear as far as we are concerned: Introducing the new mobile and e-banking system is just the beginning. The mobile and e-banking system is our central customer platform. The more functions we offer on the platform, the higher the customer satisfaction. And the many self-service functions relieve the burden on our support and back-office staff.