How Zürcher Kantonalbank used Dynamic Project Management to launch Jugendlinie

Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB) is one of Switzerland’s leading financial institutions, offering a comprehensive range of banking services to individuals, businesses, and public entities. Established in 1870, ZKB prides itself on its strong commitment to customer satisfaction, innovation, and community engagement.

The ZKB team noticed an increasing number of young customers and decided to launch the “Jugendlinie” project to enhance their banking experience.

The project focused on addressing the specific needs of young customers and improving their overall banking experience. To achieve this, the team established a dedicated hotline for these customers and utilized the Dynamic Project Management Methods to ensure successful implementation.

Understanding Customer Demand

The team first needed to understand the volume of daily incoming calls from young customers to launch the “Jugendlinie” So, they added the “Birth date” value to all incoming calls which helped them evaluate if there was a significant demand to justify a dedicated young customer hotline. The findings revealed a substantial volume of calls, thus confirming the need for the “Jugendlinie” (Youthline) project.

Defining Project Scope, Goals, and Measurements

Project Goals:

“Jugendlinie” (Youth Line), is aimed at establishing trust and providing relatable and empathetic services to young clients. The project aimed to:

Enhance customer experience by allowing young customers to be served by young employees.
Determine the number of calls per day to be answered by apprentices.
Train apprentices in communication and customer care service.

Balancing Stakeholder Expectations

Various stakeholders were engaged to balance their expectations and project goals. Key measurements, such as call volumes and customer satisfaction rates, were established to track progress and define success.

Component-Based Planning and Integration

Given the complexity of the “Jugendlinie” project, the team utilized a Component-based Management technique to divide the project into easily manageable modules.

The components that were included and closely tracked:

Hardware (e.g., headphones, telephone systems)
Office Space (dedicated room for the project)
Software (The ZKB phone software had to be upgraded, so young customer calls could be directly recognized and forwarded to the “Jugendlinie”.
Resources (The right apprentices were allocated to the project)
Education & Training (The apprentices were educated and trained, which required coaches and instruction/training documents.)
Communication & Marketing (The team informed customers customers about the new hotline through customer letters and website branding)

Stakeholder Management

Given the extensive nature of the project, the ZKB team has identified the key stakeholders and their KPIs for the successful implementation of ‘Jugendlinie’.

Key stakeholders include:

End customers who expect the same level of standards and quality for “Jugendlinie” as for all other customer service lines.
Youths who will work as apprentices and aim to attain good education and learning goals.
3. IT teams who are responsible for the hardware and software adaptation to ensure that customer calls are redirected. Resources needed to be clarified and prioritization was necessary.
Education teams in charge of instructing and training apprentices and providing them with instructional materials. Education for “Jugendlinie” should be conducted multiple times per year.
Communication and marketing teams that will efficiently inform customers about ‘Jugendlinie’ and its benefits.

Regular meetings were conducted with stakeholders to identify their needs and concerns. Feedback from stakeholders was continuously integrated into the project, ensuring alignment and prompt addressing of any issues.

Product and Service Quality Management

Quality management was a significant focus, emphasizing customer satisfaction, apprentice learning, and maintaining educational materials quality.

Setting Quality Standards:

Customer satisfaction was the primary focus, with regular evaluations and reviews.
Apprentices received continuous coaching to meet learning goals.
Training materials were regularly updated to ensure relevance and effectiveness.

Continuous Improvement:

Continuous monitoring and reviews were instrumental in upholding the project’s high-quality standards.

Quality management processes included regular assessments and updates based on feedback and performance metrics.

Issue and Risk Management

The proactive identification, analysis, and mitigation of potential challenges were pivotal in effective issue and risk management.

Risks were categorized by impact and probability, with a risk register created to track them.
High-impact and high-probability risks were prioritized, with defined mitigation measures and actions.
Dependencies were managed to ensure that critical issues were resolved before progressing with other tasks.

Knowledge Management

JIRA was used for task management and Confluence for documentation.
Goals and progress were clearly documented from the project’s inception and continuously updated.

Tools and Techniques:

Documentation was meticulously maintained to ensure that all project activities, decisions, and outcomes were recorded for future reference and continuous learning.

This proactive approach enabled Zürcher Kantonalbank to navigate the dynamic project environment, ensuring progress and delivering exceptional results.

Results

The team at ZKB received positive feedback from their young customers. By providing advice from young people for young people, the team at ZKB was able to meet their needs on an equal footing, making the bank even closer to its young customers.

The “Jugendlinie” prioritized quality, with no focus on metrics like the number or duration of calls. Conversations lasted until all issues were resolved, ensuring higher customer satisfaction.

While “Jugendlinie” operated on a smaller scale, its impact on the main customer service team was significant since every call from young customers’ was answered, and concerns were resolved.

The project also widely helped apprentices gain confidence and improve their customer interaction skills, preparing them for more complex scenarios in the future.

In conclusion, Zürcher Kantonalbank’s successful implementation of the EXIN Dynamic Project Management Method not only enhanced the customer experience but also raised the bar for Dynamic Project Management. Through innovative strategies and proactive project management, the bank has really set the standard for the entire banking industry.

“Implementing the ‘Jugendlinie’ project has been a remarkable journey at Zürcher Kantonalbank. While implementing Jugendlinie, we used a blend of Agile & Scrum principles which form the baseline of EXIN’s Dynamic Project Management Method. By focusing on stakeholder engagement, quality management, and agile planning, we were able to create a service that not only enhanced our customer experience but also empowered our young apprentices to perform better. This project serves as a testament to our commitment to innovation and excellence.” – Thomas Grosser, Zürcher Kantonalbank, Geschäftshaus Hard F

The EXIN Dynamic Project Management Method Foundation (DPMM®) certification confirms a professional’s grasp of agile project management principles and practices. It is designed for aspiring project managers, team members, and leaders who want to improve project performance through agile methods. Business managers can also benefit by applying these principles to oversee projects efficiently.

Click here to learn more about the Dynamic Project Management Method: https://www.exin.com/exin-dynamic-project-management-method-dpmm/exin-dynamic-project-management-method-foundation/