"Removing biggest customer pain point"
The brief: To dramatically reduce call volume by simplifying the password reset experience, increasing customer satisfaction, and improving operational efficiency.
The problem: The call centre receives 25 000 calls per month but Bankwest only has he resources to take 18 000 calls per month, resulting in a 50% abandon rate on these calls, low net promoter score (NPS), colleague burn out and frustrated customers. Password reset is the biggest single driver of these calls, specifically issues with entering card number and pin as a part of that process.
The solution: To remove the card number and PIN requirement, replacing it with more user-friendly email and date of birth inputs. In addition, I enhanced the UI by incorporating Bankwest’s latest design system, creating consistency and reducing user errors. Key improvements included streamlining the process by minimising steps/screens and developing a custom date of birth component to enhance reduce error and enhance usability.
The process: Mobile and website design, including synthesis and iteration.
My role: As the squad’s UX Designer, I collaborated closely with a cross-functional team including product owners, business analysts, copywriters, accessibility experts, and developers. Together, we developed a seamless MVP solution.
Key tools: Figma, askable, JIRA, confluence and teams.
Key methods:
● Current state analysis.
● Competitor analysis.
● User interviews.
● UI design.
● Prototyping.
Delivered: Drop 1 and Drop 2 UI designs for app, desktop and in app Browser, including detailed error states, dialogs and a custom component, with DEV notes/edge cases.
A little bit of background of our squad.
In 2022 Bankwest closed 11 branches in 1 month on the east coast of Australia as these branches were high cost/low margin branches. That cost was re-directed to start the Self Service First (SSF) squad, which costs the bank $1.5 million per year to have. SSF being a new squad with high visibility, with many important stakeholders involved, we had a lot of pressure on us to deliver and prove ourselves at the bank.
Our vision of the outcomes.
● Reduce call centre calls.
● Reduce waiting times for customers calling the call centre.
● Reduce the abandon rate on calls to the call centre.
● Increase our Net Promoter Score (NPS).
● Reduce colleague burn out.
● Reduce customer frustration.
Call centre data narrowed our focus.
● 12 000 calls are made to the call centre per month for password reset.
● Password reset calls costs the bank $960 000 per year.
● 70% of the 12 000 password reset calls are due to issues with entering card number and PIN.
Driving Insights.
We did 7 target user interviews with bankwest app customers to learn:
● What personal details customers prefer to provide when re-setting their passwords.
● What customers’ sentiments on biometric identification are.
● What customers understand security wise.
● What are some common customer pain points and frustrations.
A deeper understanding of customer comfort and security perceptions.
● Customers were least comfortable providing their card number and pin.
● Customers were most comfortable providing their phone number, email and customer ID.
● Customers were relatively comfortable providing their DOB, Passport, Drivers License, Fingerprint and FaceID.
● Most customers have used and/or are using biometrics to identify themselves.
● Customers felt that BIO is the most secure way to identify yourself (seen as nearly impossible to hack). They felt that password was the second most secure (based on the premise that customers create a complex password) and PIN as the least secure.
● Security questions, calling the bank, having to wait on the phone and not being able to use previous passwords were all some common pain points.
Streamlining UX with clear quick wins.
● Removed card number and PIN inputs and replaced them with DOB and email inputs to make our customers more comfortable.
● Updated the UI to align with other squads using some of the same screens and with our design system for consistency.
● Designed a custom date of birth 3 input component for app and desktop to follow best UX standards and reduce user error.
● Reduced clicks, screens, and time spent on task for customers by removing the large success screen at the end of the flow and replacing it with a success toast on the log in screen. This also became part of our wider design thinking to start using toasts for smaller successes and reserve our large success screen for larger tasks.
● Streamlined the experience by merging 2 SMS step up screens into 1.
Optimal native in app experience.
A native in-app password reset experience was undoubtedly the most seamless solution for our customers offering them an uninterrupted and familiar experience by maintaining consistency in the overall user interface and design. It also strengthens customers’ trust in the process and minimises the risk of friction, abandoning task or calling the bank.
We had to de-scope.
Security and time restraints meant that we would not be able to deliver our native in app solution for our MVP. Our PO and key stakeholders were very keen for outputs and ASAP and chose to de-scope by delivering 1 responsive solution for both desktop and mobile.
Navigating constraints with in-app browser.
We knew sending our customers out to an external browser from app was going to be a terrible experience. Therefore, we pushed stakeholders to get our in app browser solution across the line so that we were doing as much as we could to still provide a a good customer experience. We considered how this solution was going to look on android and iphone devices also.
Mitigation of repeat error.
I recommended introducing a splash screen for customers once they have reset their password, encouraging them to set up PIN login. This prompt aimed to not only offer a quicker login experience but also reduce the likelihood of future password resets. Once customers set up PIN login, they could perform more banking tasks without requiring an SMS step-up for security, enhancing the overall ease and convenience. Moreover, PIN login serves as a prerequisite for enabling fingerprint or face ID login, which significantly improves both security and user experience. Encouraging customers to begin with PIN login laid the foundation for a smoother, more secure journey.
What comes next.
● Accessibility testing and engaging squad with outstanding tasks to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance.
● Track data to see the effectiveness of our solution on MVP launch.
● Support squad to deliver Drop 2 changes, including button loading spinners and deep link users to app log in screen at the end of in app browser flow not to the internet banking log in as it is currently.
Upon reflection...
After going through this process we felt confident that we were going to make it a lot easier for customers to reset their passwords and that this will be reflected in a decrease of call centre calls. Only time will tell how effective our solutions have been for our customers.
