6 min read
Updated on November 30, 2022
Published on November 18, 2022
Gary Sorrentino serves as Zoom’s Global CIO, after spending over two years as our Global Deputy CIO. A former Managing Director for J.P. Morgan Asset & Wealth Management, Gary was the Global Head of Client Cyber Awareness and Education.
For over 12 years, Gary was the Chief Technology Officer for J.P. Morgan AWM’s global technology infrastructure initiatives, where he managed its Data Privacy program and was responsible for Infrastructure, Application and End User Technology Production Support. In 2014, he assumed a new role as the lead for their Cybersecurity efforts and developed a firm wide “Protect the Client” Cyber program designed to raise cybersecurity awareness among employees and clients.
With over 40 years of experience in Information Technology, Gary has served in various other IT leadership positions in firms across the financial services industry. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan in 2005, Gary was Head of Global Infrastructure and Head of Technology Efficiencies at Citi Private Bank, where he was responsible for Global Infrastructure Support and strategic technology initiatives. Other roles he has held include Global Technology CFO at Credit Suisse and North America IT Controller at UBS.
The financial services industry isn’t what it used to be 10 years ago, or even five years ago. Whether it’s employees or customers, people now have high expectations for their experiences — and some institutions don’t have the infrastructure to keep up.
Experience is now the difference between the customers you gain and those you lose, and missing the mark can hurt revenue and business performance. This has tasked leaders with determining how to deploy communications technology to support comprehensive and meaningful transformation initiatives.
So, how do you create more meaningful customer and employee experiences? That’s what our financial services Zoomtopia sessions discussed, with thought leaders across the space speaking about how to leverage the Zoom platform to gain a competitive advantage. Here’s a snapshot of the findings:
I kicked off our financial services keynote by discussing a new paradigm: both employees and customers want you to come to them, not the other way around. Whether that’s video-enabled ATMs, personalized banking applications, or spaces for asynchronous collaboration and spontaneous huddles, everyone expects a personalized, seamless experience. Employees want choice and flexibility in how and where they work, and customers crave high-touch engagements and omnichannel experiences. Here’s how you can support both through digital transformation:
Your employees aren’t the same people you sent home in 2020, and so your policy shouldn’t be the same either. While some institutions are embracing flexible work, others are cooking up rigorous return-to-office policies without thinking about “why” and “how.” If you want employees to return to in person, if even for part of the time, how are you enticing them to be there? Are you creating a magnet or a mandate? If the latter, take a few notes from the former — you can draw people into the office by creating a consistent experience, no matter where and how they work.
Don't make them switch from device to device, app to app. Make the office feel the same as home by creating a consistent meeting quality through strategic in-office technology. Digital Signage, Workspace Reservation, and video-enabled open workspaces can all help you move with employees instead of slowing them down.
Prioritize quantity and quality when it comes to customer interactions — yes, both. Meaning, give customers more options to connect with you on the modality they prefer. Then, provide value once they’re there; connect in a way that feels less transactional and more personal, becoming a trusted partner across the entire journey in the process.
It’s also important to provide the right touchpoints along the way, such as:
That confluence of employee experience, customer experience, and digital transformation is creating something called total experience. Addressing total experience means meeting the demands of employees and customers — both now and in the future, and sometimes that’s easier said than done.
Terrence Thomas, executive vice president and CIO at First Bank, joined me in a fireside chat to show how it's done. He revealed how his company meets employees where they are and how, in his experience, return-to-office mandates don’t really work. His tip? Root culture in experiences, and identify the digital or hybrid elements that help foster shared experience. “Make technology the focal point of company culture,” he said.
As for customer experience, Terrence notes it’s important to know who your audience is now.
“Traditionally, banks made revenue through older generations who go to physical locations to banks, but younger generations don’t — many won't even set foot in a branch. So, how do you provide the modern services that group is looking for?
“We, for example, are focused on leveraging data to make differentiated experiences for better customer journeys,” Terrence noted. A few other things on First Bank’s radar: immersive video, natural language processing, automated transcription, and human-machine teaming. “We have to be open to new technology, which hasn’t been done a lot in midsize banking, so we can drive value for our customers,” Terrence added.
Our own Adi Regev, group product manager for financial services, got together with Devin Redmond from Theta Lake, Chad Billing from NICE, Blane Warrene from Smarsh, and Phil Fry from Verint for a session focused on the current regulatory landscape.
The group discussed how compliance rules and regulations are ever-evolving, as are risks. That’s why we’ve worked with these reliable and trusted compliance partners to equip you with relevant integrations with the Zoom platform. They shared their insights, predictions, and thoughts on the shifting compliance landscape, and a few top-of-mind items emerged:
Adi joined us again to forecast what’s ahead for Zoom’s financial services-specific initiatives and features. He chatted through the latest offerings from our team, many of which are being used by numerous financial services organizations already, as well as looked ahead at what's still to come.
Scalable client services aren’t possible without security. Customizable collaboration spaces aren’t possible without the right compliance controls. You can’t have one without the other, but you can have it all by deploying a comprehensive communications platform like Zoom. Get your employees what they need and make memorable experiences for customers, all while creating revenue-generating activities that are as resilient as your business.
Check out all the financial services Zoomtopia 2022 sessions in our on-demand library, and learn more about Zoom for financial services by visiting our webpage.
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