OREANDA-NEWS. February 24, 2012. In recent years, with the peer competition getting fiercer, outlet transformation has become an inevitable choice for the banking industry. In January, 2009, Agricultural Bank of China Limited (ABC) launched an outlet transformation consulting project by working with IBM, meanwhile starting to improve its outlet competitive strengths in hard and soft transformation. Up to now, it has completed three stages of work, namely diagnosis analysis, categorized design and pilot operation, and implemented pilot operation in 40 outlets of 10 branches in Shandong, Beijing and Shenzhen etc., a number of which have strengthened their competitive strength after the operation, reported the press-centre of ABC.

During the outlet transformation, ABC has proactively launched the channel configuration, using an outlet locating model to analyze operation status and external environment of outlets. It has proposed specific optimization measures for outlet staffs and channel configuration based on the investigation analysis of project advisors and calculation of channel configuration model. In order to achieve synergic marketing and better customer management, ABC has clarified job responsibilities and improved the performance evaluation system. For outlet managers, their operational and management responsibilities such as outlets, customers, sales, performance and culture were stressed, while role on administration and logistic support was avianized. Meanwhile, a personal performance management system centered on "performance managers", which were taken on by outlet managers, was established to consolidate their key roles in evaluating management to improve the effectiveness of on-site management.

In order to improve its service, ABC has set up customer-centered front-office sale procedures, and turned product-driven sales to customer-driven sales, formulating targeted marketing policies for each outlet. Meanwhile, it has turned whole-staff marketing to synergic marketing and reaction marketing to proactive marketing, trying to meet customer demands by acquiring customer information from multiple channels. ABC has also introduced opportunity management and established high-end customer archives, so as to facilitate customer managers with better understanding of customer investment preference, assets status and risk tolerance to introduce pertinent products and win over the customers.

Moreover, ABC has introduced outlet service culture by enriching morning and evening meetings, strengthening synergic marketing and setting up clarified positive/negative behavior evaluation standards in pilot outlets. Dedicated to meeting customer demand and improving customer experience, outlet staff took the initiative to innovate in service, marketing, management and learning etc.