The FINANCIAL — Santander and IBM on February 27 announced a collaboration to design and develop a suite of IBM MobileFirst for iOS apps to support the banking group’s digital transformation and give employees the tools to create deeper engagements with their customers.
These custom-built, native apps made for iOS will be rolled out across more than 11,000 iOS devices, changing how Santander’s commercial network employees, including those supporting Corporate, SME, Private and Retail Banking, approach their day-to-day activities and boost productivity, according to IBM.
Using iPhone, Santander employees can expect to have immediate access to up-to-date information on products, services, and clients, allowing them to make better recommendations to customers on bank products such as Santander’s 1|2|3 account for SMEs, an account that provides cash back incentives for customers, rewards through Santander shares and offers a high profitability among other financial advantages. These iOS apps will be designed with a user-centric approach and be specifically tailored for employees working in Santander’s central offices and the banking network. The first set of apps planned to be deployed include:
Achievement Overview helps branch office managers and territory supervisors monitor the most important achievement indicators at a moment’s notice, in order to navigate through different financial objectives and performance metrics on products, clients or geographical areas.
Easy Risk: gives operators mobile access to metrics for capital requirements and risk management. Managers will also be able to access risk policies and industry reports available in the bank, as well as the latest news and reports of the macro environment.
“Innovation is one of Banco Santander’s identity signs. Collaborating with IBM will help us accelerate our digital transformation and improve the client experience to anticipate customer needs,” said Javier Cuenca, Managing Director T&O Area Banco Santander.
IBM will work with Santander to quickly and efficiently design, develop and deploy multiple native iOS apps using Apple’s modern programming language, Swift. Every app will be seamlessly integrated with Santander’s enterprise systems, putting real-time data at the fingertips of employees. Santander is leveraging IBM’s app design and development model – Mobile at Scale – that will support the rapid development and deployment of these apps the first set of which are planned for release in April, and new apps will continue being developed during the next two years.
“Santander is committed to reinventing how it conducts business, beginning with creating new ways for bank employees to engage with business customers for an exceptional banking experience,” said Gareth Mackown, European Mobile and Apple Leader, IBM. “Through our partnership with Apple, we’re putting innovative, data-driven mobile solutions in the hands of Santander’s employees to empower them with information that transforms the way they approach customer service.”
Discussion about this post