Société Générale - I-AM Mumbai

CREATING THE BEST ONE-TO-ONE BANK BRANCH CONCEPT

With the goal to become the best one-to-one bank in Serbia we designed a concept that evolved the role of staff and better integrated the technology within the branch experience. We worked with the Société Générale team to develop a modular branch design, which radically improved the ‘welcome & enquiry’ stages of the customer journey, with an enhanced self-service experience to transition clients from traditional to digital channels. We also developed a kit of parts, that formed a flexible and engaging concept toolkit applicable to existing and future sites. Société Générale’s Customer Analysis and Journey Mapping We began by analysing Société Générale’s new target audiences, existing clients and the previous operational model. To do this, we visited 3 cities, and spoke to 19 customers across 3 customer groups, as well as branch teams. This profiled the lifestyle and banking, habits and needs of Société Générale customers; necessary to drive the initial design thinking and creative directions. The direction required was a design approach orientated around the choreography of people, technology and space. Translated as five key ‘Experience Modules’ that are the critical customer engagement zones within the brand experience. Each module includes various components that balance digital integration as well as staff-led services. Through the mapping of the customer journey we laid out how to best embed the technology and digital features within the branch design. Specifically, ‘pre-arrival’ options including self-booking appointments, monitoring queue progress, ‘check-in options’ such as self-service check in, teller service, and the ‘status/advice’ aspect that offers the opportunity to find information through the in-branch table mounted tablets as well as through the surrounding large format media screen. Société Générale’s Bank Branch Design The branch concept we developed is based on five key ‘Experience Modules’ that are the critical customer engagement zones within the brand experience. Each module includes various components that balance digital integration as well as staff-led services. Through the mapping of the customer journey we laid out how to best embed the technology and digital features within the branch design. Specifically, ‘pre-arrival’ options including self-booking appointments, monitoring queue progress, ‘check-in options’ such as self-service check in, teller service, and the ‘status/advice’ aspect that offers the opportunity to find information through the in-branch table mounted tablets as well as through the surrounding large format media screen. From a visual and sensory point of view, the branch space is designed to feel open, airy and relaxed especially in the centre of the branch with the ‘social zone’ – unusually for banks in this market, the atmosphere achieves a sense of comfort, softness and warmth whilst also offering expert professional advice. The interior architecture features a ‘3D Mondrian’ cubic/irregular language, underpinning all principles of layout, fit-out and styling. This is visible as sculptural ‘floating’ panel overlays across the wall and ceiling structures, involving simple linear forms layered and overlapped with accents of the red, black and white SG brand colours, creating a distinctive and sculptural interior with depth and a contemporary visual impact. Finishing touches of local relevance included large scale illustrations from local artists. Results The two in initial pilot stores in Novi Sad and Belgrade were created through the internal teams at SGS and local architects, interpreting the ‘generic’ ideal concept design vision we created. The Belgrade store especially represents how a strong concept vision can be successfully translated by local teams. To measure the added value of the new branch experience, SGS commissioned cutting-edge research methodologies from Neuroscience-based specialists Trizma Neuro. The key measures for a positive reception from customers, assessed using these highly reliable techniques, are ‘off the charts’ – to quote Dr. Nikolaos Dimitriadis of Trizma Neuro. Key Findings from the Trizma Neuro research Pioneering evaluation methodology: Deep analysis, focus groups of 12 clients/branch, range of customer types existing and new target customers; range of scenarios Combination of Neuro techniques: EEG (brain responses) and Eye Tracking (Gaze direction & duration) Enabling us to understand where customers are focusing, for how long, and what their true reactions and responses are. Assessment Criteria: Cognitive Load (stress level on brain processing the experience) Neural Engagement (Level of interest and stimulation) Emotional Reaction (Postive/negative and strong/weak) Conclusions: Overall, far above the industry average – the most positive customer responses to any bank branch design or experience so far evaluated with this technique. Customers reacted particularly well to the range of different zones in the branch experience. Demonstrably easier to understand than competitors Far more engaging than competitors The best emotional responses in the industry sector What we did • Customer Journey Analysis • Experience Mapping • Branch Network Strategy • Digital Integration • Interior design • Signage & Application • Branded Environments