Case Study

MINE THE GAP

Teradata Analytical Solutions Help Bank Alfalah Discover Its Customers!

Here are a few common problems faced by many institutions several departments contact one single customer, multiple times. Does that sound familiar? How about this one? You have a large branch network of isolated sites and it takes as much effort and investment to gather that data, as it does to actually generate it?

Access to timely information, can help to increase the value proposition of the company and help to minimize costs. You see, every interaction is planned based on data made available to that one department, which is usually a part of the complete information. However, as most companies have figured out thankfully, valuable information is actually the sum of its parts. Information which can lead to actual lead generation for one department and potential conversion for another, all depends on the quality of aggregated data. How quickly and efficiently you can get to this data and plug it into your system, will also help determine not just how much money you have saved, but also how much more business you can generate. Youre aware of the fact that an increasing number of consumerdriven companies base their decisions on business intelligence, which is generated based on the analytical solutions they employ not just to acquire and aggregate necessary information across silos within the organization, but also to

help identify past and future trends. Financial institutions who want to get a closer relationship with their customers, are also integrating some form of analytics to drive better, more efficient business. And thats why Bank Alfalahs decision to sign with Teradata Pakistan is big news.

Consolidation is Key

Bank Alfalah Limited has 231 branches in 74 cities with more than 200 automatic teller machines. There was an obvious challenge to aggregate its scattered financial data from decentralized branches. They had minimal documentation and reference points and their existing platforms with distributed source systems of records made it incredibly inefficient to analyze its financial records and customer information and generate reports. This was mostly a result of rapid expansion in its branch network and deposit base along with an increase in the range of products and services offered. Vital information regarding customers was stored

and retained inefficiently and in many cases insufficient for accurate reporting. The situation often resulted in different products with similar product IDs. Following the age-old principal of GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out) intelligent business decisions cannot be based on faulty data. Since information is built in layers, having a questionable starting point can lead to inefficient and unnecessarily costly operations. The bank needed an efficient system where it could easily store and retrieve important customer data to identify valuable customers as well as to effectively communicate with them. Since the bank was operating on multiple computer platforms with distributed source systems of records, it could not efficiently analyze its financial records and customer information and report on it effectively. Moreover, the information collection process needed more staff, time and investment that could be better

served in other business areas. Keeping in mind the challenges, Bank Alfalah realized that a datawarehouse was extremely necessary in order to maintain its financial information in an organized manner. This warehouse would not only keep a safe record of all the data in one place but also facilitate financial reporting. The bank decided to build a data warehouse to keep and trace its vital information. By having a single portal where all the information can b e s t o re d , t h e company can ensure that the data is authentic and relevant. More importantly, they can ensure that everyone in the organization is accessing the same primary data. The ultimate goal of Bank Alfalah is to develop and deliver the most innovative products, manage customer experience, provide quality services and enhance profitability. While pursuing these goals, customer satisfaction remains its top priority. In order to achieve customer satisfaction and increase profitability at the same time, the company has decided to leverage one consolidated platform - Datawarehouse.

The bank needed an efficient system where it could easily store and retrieve important customer data to identify valuable customers as well as to effectively communicate with them. Since the bank was operating on multiple computer platforms with distributed source systems of records, it could not efficiently analyze its financial records and customer information and report on it effectively. Moreover, the information collection process needed more staff, time and investment that could be better served in other business areas.
cial department can now perform its financial reporting in an efficient manner quicker, accurate and easily. Previously the bank used to have a dedicated team of 12 memLately the bank has also used its data warehouse for ad-hoc bank operations related queries to bank operations. With properly documented data, it can quickly respond to customer needs which has helped in delivering quality services and raised customer support dramatically. The Te r a d a t a Datawarehouse gives us the advantage of storing and tracking information on individual customers across our nation wide operations. Our response time to information in terms of opportunities and products has significantly increased. The Te r a d a t a Datawarehouse solution helped in increasing our market share by giving Bank Alfalah a strategic edge over our competitors Fahim Khan, Manager Data Warehousing and BI Services

Benefits

Teradata Analytical Solutions have provided the bank with a wellordered system for reporting and tracking its information. The finan-

bers who collected data from all the branches, compiled it, maintained it and then generated reports on it. With the help of Teradata this process can now be done automatically through the loading of the data warehouse and subsequent reporting through Bank Alfalahs internal reporting portal. The banks Datawarehouse team regularly monitors this daily process and the 12-man strong team is now being used more productively in other areas of the bank.

DISCUSSION: Do you think Analytical solutions help in times of economic distress? Share your thoughts by commenting on this post online or send us your opinions at: feedback@ciopakistan.com