2015 Winners & Shortlists

PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST: A NEW CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UAE’S PREFERRED BANK

BrandADCB
Product/ServiceRETAIL DESIGN
EntrantSTARTJG Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryEnvironmental Design
Entrant Company STARTJG Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Advertising Agency STARTJG Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Brief Explanation

The branch experience is pivotal to ADCB fostering closer relationships with customers. So our objective was to create an experience that puts its customers’ needs first and so bring its brand promise to life. To do this we needed to challenge the traditional approach to branch design in the region. Branches were not naturally welcoming. Largely based around ‘do it yourself’ and ‘wait your turn’, many branches still have ‘closed’ fronts, use space inefficiently, and display literature in an unhelpful way. ADCB wanted to change this, by offering its customers a branch experience that emanates the high levels of personal service that the brand is committed to delivering.

The Brief

Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) is one of the United Arab Emirate’s largest financial institutions. As part of its five-year strategy ADCB plans to completely reinvent customer-centric banking, to become the most preferred bank in the region. We helped ADCB undertake a major rebrand to reflect this enduring commitment to customer service. A key part of this was to redesign the branch environment so that it supports, facilitates and inspires customers on their ‘wealth journey to realize their financial ambitions’ - the promise at the heart of the ADCB brand.

How the final design was conceived

We began by reversing a prevalent Middle Eastern convention: a wall of self-service machines sitting in an entrance. By moving these to the side, and bringing customer service staff to the fore, we created an initial impression that’s about people, not machines. An intuitive branch layout organized around three main zones - teller area, welcome desk, consultation area – allows customers to easily navigate the space and personalize their visit, depending on their needs. Service desks have been redesigned so that twice as many fit in the same space as before, giving staff more opportunity to interact with customers one-to-one.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

“The new branch design enables ADCB to get double the number of counters into the same footprint. Not only is the design a big step forward, it is also 50% cheaper to implement than the previous configuration.” Valentin Toubeau, Vice President Group Strategy “Our goal was to evolve the ADCB brand; to explore the possibilities without losing sight of the propositions that underpin our award-winning success. Together with our agency, we have successfully recast our core values into an innovative and refreshing customer experience.” Arup Mukhopadhyay, Executive Vice President & Head of Consumer Banking, ADCB

Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank is a bank in the United Arab Emirates. ADCB is one of the largest in the UAE in terms of shareholder funds and market capitalisation. Vision: To be the number one bank of choice in the UAE. A constantly innovating, financially successful organisation of the highest integrity, respected by our customers, by our competitors and by the community. Mission: To build a partnership with our customers that lasts a lifetime by 1. treating every customer as an individual 2. offering innovative products and unparalleled service 3. never forgetting that our customer has a choice