PROJECT 4

Streamlining International Finance

BUSINESS DESIGN / SERVICE DESIGN

CLIENT: Société Générale Corporate and Investment Banking, Hong Kong

ROLE: Lead Service Designer

OBJECTIVE:

To enhance customer experience and operational efficiency within the Delta One trading desk by addressing value chain inefficiencies and fostering seamless collaboration between geographically distributed teams in Hong Kong and Bangalore.

Challenges to be Addressed

1. Operational Fragmentation:

SG CIB’s value chain for the Delta One trading desk was split across Hong Kong and Bangalore, resulting in miscommunication, delays, and inefficiencies in trade processing.

2. Customer Experience Gaps:

Delays and errors in trade settlements affected the trading desk’s ability to deliver timely and accurate services to clients.
Customers were experiencing inconsistent communication and slower issue resolution due to operational bottlenecks.

3. Employee Experience Issues:

Employees across offices reported a lack of clarity in roles and responsibilities, leading to duplication of work and task ownership conflicts.

4. Lack of End-to-End Visibility:

Leadership faced difficulties identifying the root causes of inefficiencies due to fragmented processes and limited data visibility across the value chain.

Interviews at SGCIB office, Hong Kong.

Partial view of service blueprint created for the project.

Approach &
Methodology

The project adopted a structured, research-driven approach to uncover challenges, engage stakeholders, and develop actionable solutions:

PHASE 1: Research Design

Objective Definition: Conducted discussions with senior leaders from the front, middle, and back offices to define the scope and objectives of the research.
Tool Development: Designed research tools, including workshop agendas, observation checklists, interview guides, and templates for time and motion studies.

PHASE 2: Primary Data Collection

Problem Definition Workshops: Facilitated workshops with key stakeholders across Hong Kong and Bangalore to map the value chain and identify high-priority areas for investigation.
Observational Studies: Shadowed employees in their day-to-day operations to understand workflows, task handovers, and communication dynamics.
Semi-Structured Interviews: Conducted interviews with employees from all levels (front, middle, and back office) to capture diverse perspectives on challenges and opportunities.
Time and Motion Studies: Measured the time taken for critical tasks and identified redundancies and inefficiencies in the trade processing workflow.

PHASE 3: Service Blueprinting & Analysis

Service Blueprint Development: Mapped the entire end-to-end value chain of Delta One trading, capturing processes, interactions, tools, and handoffs between teams in Hong Kong and Bangalore.
Pain Point Analysis:
- Identified 63 key action areas, including role ambiguities, inefficient communication protocols, and tool mismatches.
- Highlighted gaps in training and inconsistent escalation procedures as critical bottlenecks.
Opportunities Identification: Pinpointed areas for automation, process redesign, and enhanced cross-location collaboration.

PHASE 4: Co-Solutioning

Collaborative Workshops: Conducted solution co-creation workshops with cross-functional teams from both locations, ensuring buy-in and practical feasibility of the proposed interventions.
Prototyping Solutions: Developed prototypes for process improvements, including workflow automation, enhanced escalation mechanisms, and cross-location training programs.
Stakeholder Engagement: Worked with C-suite leaders to align proposed solutions with strategic goals and secure organizational commitment.

Co-creation sessions.

Presentations.

Solutions &
Recommendations

1. Service Blueprint and Action Plan

Developed a comprehensive service blueprint visualizing the entire value chain, pain points, and intervention opportunities.
Presented an action plan with 63 targeted interventions, categorized into short-term fixes, medium-term process enhancements, and long-term strategic initiatives.

2. Proposed Solutions

Workflow Automation: Suggested automation for repetitive tasks like trade reconciliation and reporting to reduce manual errors and free up employee time.
Enhanced Escalation Protocols: Designed a tiered escalation matrix to streamline issue resolution and improve response times.
Role Clarity Framework: Defined clear roles and responsibilities to eliminate task duplication and foster ownership.
Cross-Location Training: Introduced joint training sessions to align teams on tools, processes, and best practices.
Communication Protocols: Standardized communication tools and protocols to enhance collaboration between Hong Kong and Bangalore offices.

Impact &
Outcomes

Operational Efficiency
- Solutions are projected to improve trade processing efficiency by 28%, resulting in significant cost savings and better resource utilization.
Customer Experience
- Streamlined processes and improved communication have reduced delays and enhanced the accuracy of trade settlements, positively impacting customer satisfaction.
Employee Experience
- Clearer roles and enhanced collaboration tools have fostered better engagement and reduced stress among employees across both locations.
Strategic Alignment
- The action plan received buy-in from C-suite leaders, ensuring alignment with SG CIB’s strategic goals and long-term vision.

WORKSHOP

Business Design for Internal Startup

BUSINESS DESIGN / SERVICE DESIGN

CLIENT: EazInvest, Société Générale, UK

ROLE: Lead Service Designer

OBJECTIVE:

To help the internal startup develop their idea into a venture that could be pitched to SocGen business Leaders. This involved taking their product idea and fleeshing it out through business model innovation.

ACTIVITIES &
OUTCOMES

Activities:

Over the course of a 5-day workshop, the following artefacts were developed with the EazInvest Team:

Mission & Vision Document
User Personas and Journeys
Value Proposition Canvas
Business Model Canvas
Prioritization Matrix

Outcomes:

The core value proposition was defined and the essentials pf the business model were identified. It helped the team realize that there were still several questioons they did not have answers to.
The workshop resulted in the creation of pitch deck that the startup was able to use for its pitch to both, internal as well as external investors.