Voice biometrics specialists, live chat agents and customer experience designers are among the 13 new job roles that DBS has introduced in recent years, four of them in the past 18 months alone, as it creates the customer centre of the future to serve customers better. In the process, the bank has upskilled and retrained over 500 customer centre employees, and eliminated traditional customer pain-points such as long wait times to speak to customer service officers (CSOs). 

Geeta Sreeraman, DBS’ Head of Customer Centre, Singapore said that DBS’ Customer Centre transformation is an example of how the bank has invested in its employees, as well as in technology, to improve the overall customer experience.

“By investing in our people, we have been able to transform from a labour-intensive department with a high turnover rate to one that is technology-enabled where employees are more fulfilled and armed with future-forward skills.” 

As a result, call volumes at the Customer Centre which processes over four million inbound customer calls every year have dropped 12% over the last year, and the bank expects call volumes to drop by a further 20% over the next three years. 

The 13 new job roles that the bank has introduced include:

• Social media relations manager – DBS was the first bank in Singapore to introduce this role. As a social media relations manager, customer service officers manage customer reviews and feedback on DBS’ social media channels. 

• ‘Live’ chat agents – CSOs who manage ‘live’ chats with customers via the DBS and POSB website and mobile banking app. 

• Customer experience designer – Creates a more thoughtful user experience by analyzing the customer’s interaction with the bank’s contact centre services. 

• Demand managers – Forecast, plan for and manage the demand for products and services using a planning methodology. 

• Mobile app developer – Create applications for Android, iOS and Windows mobile platforms. 

• Business intelligence lead – Leads the planning, design, development, implementation, and maintenance of new reporting and analytical applications. 

• Content creators –Creates self-help guides to help customers find answers to general inquiries. These guides are posted on the DBS website. 

• Knowledge platform designers – Create the bank’s Help and Support page. 

• Voice biometrics specialists – Manages the process of call authentication, security and identifying and storing voice prints. 

• Natural language processing engineer – Analyses and generates language that people naturally use to interface with artificial intelligence. 

• Scrum masters – Institutionalize the agile methodology within the department.

• Digital evangelists – Lead the promotion of digital channels to customers through outbound calls and monthly roadshows at community centres or DBS/POSB branches. 

• VTM managers – Team managers leading customer service officers who are available via DBS video teller machines.

These efforts come in the backdrop of DBS’ emphasis on building a digitally-ready workforce to create a better banking experience for customers. In 2017, DBS committed to investing SGD 20 Mn over five years to equip employees with digital skills to become a future-ready workforce. Since then, the bank has rolled out Singapore’s first company-led Professional Conversion Programme (PCP), an AI-based learning tool available 24/7, and scholarships that encourage peer-to-peer learning.