Banc Sabadell: From the IT change management process to voice signing

Banking industry:

Banc Sabadell

Serban Group started collaborating with Banc Sabadell, a Spanish financial institution founded in 1881 in Sabadell (Catalonia), which has an extensive network of firms throughout Spain as well as a solid international presence with branches in different parts of Europe and America, including the United Kingdom and Mexico.

Initial situation

The company comes to us to solve the following problems:

• In a first project focused on IT change management:
  • Improve overall efficiency and effectiveness in IT change management.
  • Have a mature process that allows efficient management both in communication and in executing changes within the organization.
  • Promote correct use in the organization in order to minimize risks.
    
    
• In a second project, focused on the electronic signature of documents:
  • Following a "zero paper" policy: offering the possibility of signing documents with an advanced electronic signature, remotely and not in person.
  • Certain documents had to be signed with an advanced electronic signature; we sought to facilitate the client's ability to do it remotely (not in person) by phone.
  • Finally, implement an advanced electronic signature system, via telephone and remotely, which would provide a record of the complete verbal content (the conversation), and would be fully compatible with MiFID II (Markets in Financial Instruments Directive) and the European directive.
    
    

How we helped as Serban Group:

• In a first project focused on change management:
  • Redesign of the risk assessment scoring algorithm: We implemented a new scoring algorithm by expanding more risk assessment factors for each change. This allowed us to make a better prioritization of changes and a more efficient resource allocation...
  • Definition of a new strategy for the change committees.: We defined a new change committee structure with clearly defined roles and responsibilities allowing, on the one hand, optimization of the resources involved and, on the other, a faster and more consistent decision-making.
  • Integration of the change process with the other processes: We integrated the change management process with the rest of the key processes such as project management and incident management. We improve service times, system availability, communication and coordination between the different teams.
  • Implementation of change collision detection and a prevention system: We developed and implemented a system in order to detect and prevent change collisions, which allowed us to detect situations in which two or more changes could interfere with each other. This helped minimize incidents and ensure system availability.
  • Implementation of a Post Implementation Review (PIR) process: We developed and implemented a Post Implementation Review (PIR) process with which to evaluate the success of each change. This allowed us to minimize incidents after changes and therefore unavailabilities in critical systems and applications.
  • Automation and scheduling. We automated change management with the ITSM tool and implemented a change calendar that allowed for more effective change planning and scheduling.
  • Creation of a team focused on critical changes: A team was responsible for the management and monitoring of critical changes was defined. Their main functions were to ensure that these changes were planned and implemented in the most effective way and to perform a more direct follow up.
  • Communication and training campaign: We implemented a communication and training model to encourage the use of the new procedure among all the actors involved, as well as in the rest of the organization. We elaborated training materials, functional demos and apply continuous support.
  • Technical support: A team of experts provided ongoing support to resolve both functional questions and technical queries about the new change management process, ensuring that technicians had both the knowledge and the support necessary to implement the changes in the most effective way.
    
    
• In a second project focused on the electronic signature of documents:
  • Planning and analysis:
    • We identified the types of documents to be signed electronically.
    • We determined the applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
    • We assessed user needs and experience expectations.
  • We integrated the advanced electronic signature under the specific needs of Banc Sabadell through the FirVox voice biometrics tool, which offers a friendly interface that improved the user experience and included robust data protection measures, guaranteeing the confidentiality and integrity of the information handled.
  • We created manuals and user guides for internal use and for the bank's customers. We documented the entire implementation process, including technical configurations, operating procedures, and security policies.

Results obtained

• In a first project focused on change management:
  • Efficiency
    • 50% reduction in the number of incidents arising from poorly implemented changes
    • 30% decrease in incident resolution time.
    • Automation of repetitive tasks, freeing up time for the IT team to focus on more strategic activities.
  • Effectiveness
    • Better planning, communication and change execution, generating greater customer satisfaction.
    • Greater agility and ability to deal more effectively with changes.
    • Cost reduction and optimization of time spent by IT resources
  • Satisfaction
    • Increased confidence of technology management before critical changes.
    • Increased positive stakeholder perception of the change management process.
• In a second project focused on the electronic signature of documents:
  • Compliance
    • The implementation of advanced electronic signature via voice biometrics with FirVox enabled banks to fully comply with the requirements of the MiFID II Directive and the European directive.
  • Improving Customer Experience
    • By facilitating the remote document signing process via telephone, the customer experience was significantly improved, allowing them to complete important banking processes without the need to physically travel to a branch.
  • Evidence of Consent and Legal Security
    • The FirVox tool provides a robust and secure solution by offering “probative symmetry”, ensuring that all parties involved in a contract have access to the same proof of consent. The ability to record and store the full verbal content of transactions not only meets security standards, but also provides an additional layer of transparency and reliability in the digital signature process.

We are very proud that, considering ourselves as a technology partner, Banc Sabadell has been able to focus on the growth of its business and long-term success in an increasingly challenging business environment. 

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