In this Leaders roundtable, we have been exploring strategies for building, developing, and sustaining strong customer relationships through remote channels. With the shift away from traditional face-to-face interactions in banking, leaders have to adopt new approaches to customer engagement. We'll discuss innovative tools and technologies that enhance remote customer experiences, ensuring loyalty and long-term success in today’s evolving financial and digital landscape.

First session (26 November 2024)

The Qorus Digital Reinvention Community, in partnership with EY, held a Remote Customer Management roundtable in November 2024 to encourage knowledge-sharing among banks. The session highlighted banks’ moves toward omnichannel strategies, GenAI-driven efficiencies, and responses to rising operational costs. Discussions also covered product simplification, rapid scaling, and adapting to regulatory and tech challenges.

Discussion points:

• The best models for remote banking
• Critical factors for digital bank success
  
• AI opportunities and challenges
• Lurking threat of inflation
• Future competition between digital banks and traditional banks
  
  

Second session (13 February 2025)

The Qorus Digital Reinvention Community, in partnership with Wavestone, held its second closed roundtable on Remote Customer Management. The meeting aimed to reflect on earlier insights, explore new subtopics, and share strategies for emerging challenges. Participants emphasized the shift to AI-driven engagement models, the need for profitable digital ecosystems, and the evolving role of branch advisors in a more self-service-focused environment.

Discussion points:

• Personalizing and orchestrating remote customer interactions
• Future role of branches
• Transforming digital banking into a revenue driver
• Future roles of relationship managers and advisors
• Differences between digital channels and digital banks
• Delivering digital efficiency for mass-market customers and high-value clients
  
  

Third session (12 June 2025)

The Digital Reinvention and SME Banking Communities Leaders Roundtable, in partnership with EY, explored how banks are adapting to the global shift toward digital financial services. Discussions focused on balancing customer experience with cost efficiency, leveraging technology like AI to enhance relationship management, and addressing the evolving priorities of SMEs, which emphasize staff retention, customer satisfaction, and business resilience over growth. Banks shared innovations in remote engagement, digital tools, and advisory support to strengthen SME relationships.

Discussion points:

• SME Priorities and Behavior
• Digital Transformation and Technology
• Customer Experience vs Cost-to-Serve
• Role of Relationship Managers (RMs) and Specialists
• Current Innovations and Case Examples

Fourth session to be held in Q4 2025

We are planning for Session 4 to focus on operational efficiency and digital transformation, particularly on migrating customers from physical branches to digital channels. It will explore enabling self-service through automation, simplifying banking products, and optimizing the role of Relationship Managers (RMs) for high-value interactions.