Collaboration and Innovation
They might not operate in the limelight, but implementation teams lead the line within banks when it comes to the highly involved and often sensitive task of designing and delivering innovative solutions for clients. In this article, two experts from BNP Paribas discuss the bank’s implementation philosophy, and explain what makes or breaks the business of delivering ground-breaking, efficient, and resilient solutions for clients.
Implementation teams are among the unsung heroes within banks, toiling away at the sharp end of the interface between bank and customer, designing and implementing solutions for clients. In doing so they represent one of the most important points of contact between banks and corporate treasury teams, playing a critical role not only in addressing the immediate needs of treasurers but also listening and responding to their wider operational concerns.
Paris-based Bertrand Buyse, Head of Solutions Design and Implementation, BNP Paribas, is clear about the importance the bank attaches to the relationship between its implementation experts and clients. “When it comes to solution delivery and implementation, the goal for us has always been the same: to accompany our customers on the entire journey – working with them in the delivery of solutions from design and scoping phases to building and rolling out the solution.
“A differentiator between BNP Paribas and other banks where implementation is housed more within sales is that we have a dedicated, large, well-resourced and long- established implementation organisation. This helps us focus on delivering truly innovative solutions, not just off-the- shelf products.”
What’s more, Buyse’s global 60-strong implementation team currently has a presence in more than 10 countries – a footprint that helps to ensure it can cover all time zones. “Our extensive global coverage reflects the great importance we attach to being very close to our customers – not just in terms of mindset and values but also geography,” continues Buyse. “While we leverage technology to the maximum it’s always beneficial to have somebody on the ground, especially since our implementation philosophy is to have strong communication with clients through all phases of a project.”
A seamless approach
BNP Paribas’ Solutions Design and Implementation team’s commitment to adhering to the highest standards of delivery is further underlined by its ISO 9001 certification, which sets out the criteria for a quality management system based on principles that include a strong customer focus.
“We have a harmonised methodology for project management, but ISO 9001 also tells us that we have to listen to our customers. It requires that we constantly look to improve our service to clients and be uniform in dealings with them wherever they are in the world. It is an important, highly desirable certification and it can make a difference in winning clients since it gives them additional peace of mind.”
Buyse’s team currently delivers around 200 projects a year, large and small, globally. He says the majority of these projects are focused on cash management, in all its various guises, including payment factories, card acquiring, and new connectivity channels including new pilot solutions/services.
The customer-facing emphasis of the team means that its members often become involved with projects at the RFP stage, bringing their expertise to the table from the outset. “We have an important role, even at that early pre-sales stage, in considering how solutions might be implemented and potential roll-out strategies. If agreement is reached and the client signs up then, of course, our role becomes much more hands-on across all aspects of solution design and implementation.”
Win-win for all
Buyse’s colleague, Ivan Todorov, Cash Management Implementation Team Leader, is responsible for the more strategic cash management implementations for the bank’s largest customers. Indeed, Todorov’s unit possesses highly experienced, specialised expertise for the more sizeable projects as well as wide-ranging capabilities across varied client needs.
Drawing on these decades of expertise Todorov shares some secrets to a successful implementation. “While we often engage with corporate treasurers, project stakeholders within the client organisation can cut across several internal teams, especially when it involves digital innovation. Typically these are teams dealing with the management of payments and collections, IT and those responsible for managing ERPs and TMSs. This means we need to speak many different business languages to ensure all project information is synthesised and that we are all singing from the same hymn sheet. It is vital that there are no gaps in understanding between the stakeholders.”
Our extensive global coverage reflects the great importance we attach to being very close to our customers.
Todorov says that sometimes larger clients will engage advisers such as Deloitte and PwC to help support specific projects. While this is one more stakeholder to engage with, he is keen to assure clients that the BNP Paribas’ implementation team is well equipped to work with such additional third-parties – and understands that this may add extra layers of communication.
Mission accomplished
While the scoping phase of an implementation can take just a few weeks, the bank’s team is more accustomed to the fact that it can take several months of discussions and presentations for the project design process to evolve fully. Buyse comments: “Initially it can be a very complex picture,
but by working with the client and other stakeholders, a clear and deliverable proposal for the solution eventually emerges.”
He continues: “The first element of the mission is to make sure that we all have the right target in mind regarding what we are trying to achieve. We pride ourselves on being completely open for discussion with clients, to be a trusted adviser rather than one that is only interested in putting forward the bank’s interests. We want the best outcome for both the bank and our clients. Just pushing products is not in our DNA.”
Indeed, Todorov points out that being open and transparent with clients can help generate more business for the bank. A client that is happy with a BNP Paribas implementation in one country is much more likely to ask it to handle the roll-out of the solution in another, for example.
He adds: “It’s about building a relationship with our clients, expanding with them and delivering efficient, robust solutions. If they are happy with what we deliver in cash management, it can open up the potential for us to work together in other areas, for example trade and investments. As everyone knows, happy customers are much more likely to return. And ultimately we like to see our clients thrive.”
Easing the burden
To help them achieve that success, Buyse says that when approaching an implementation clearly establishing the roles and responsibilities of each party involved in the project from the outset is crucial. Not least to ensure a smooth working relationship but also to avoid costly misunderstandings later down the line.
“Clients need to know we are easy to do business with and being organised efficiently from the outset plays a key role in ensuring that. When we start a project we always advise the client, especially the bigger and more complex organisations, that they will need a project management team on their side.
“We assure them we will remove as much of the burden as possible from their shoulders. But having a dedicated team their end is a huge help. The best and most successful implementation projects are where both parties work together closely to develop and roll out
Echoing Buyse, Todorov says: “Success for us is based on working closely with clients, understanding their needs, and co-creating solutions that address their requirements fully. Indeed, that way of working is the foundation upon which our team’s whole innovation process is based. It is a process that been refined over many years and continues to evolve – informed by our ongoing implementation experience and understanding of what our clients need. ”
Swiss army knife
A critical aspect of the bank’s innovation philosophy Is the leveraging of intelligence gathered on client needs by the bank’s product management teams. It is essential, Todorov says, that the product teams understand the exact needs of clients – and they are tasked with bringing that information and creative ideas to the Solutions Design and Implementation experts.
Todorov explains: “Our implementation experience, our ideas and knowledge of client needs are crucial for enabling product teams to focus on developing solutions that are a correct fit for the client’s requirements. For us, innovation is therefore an iterative process involving feedback and collaboration between implementation, the client, and our product teams.
“At the same time, though, we are transparent and objective enough to say when we believe certain solutions or approaches are not in the best interests of the client, even though they may be on the client’s wish list. If we believe it doesn’t make sense for the client we say so, and suggest more appropriate alternatives.”
Such processes are only as good as the people engaging with them, however. Especially when it comes to implementation personnel, since successful outcomes depend heavily on their skills, knowledge, experience, and know-how.
Buyse concludes: “Our people are really passionate about what they do and what they can deliver for clients. But to achieve their goals, they have to wear many hats – legal, technical, project management, financial, risk management and so on. That is a hugely impressive range of capabilities in anyone’s book. I always say that when it comes to our work, implementation, you really need to be like a Swiss army knife!”
It’s about building a relationship with our clients, expanding with them and delivering efficient, robust solutions.
