Let's automate the lot

Two years ago, RMB Private Bank took a close look at its customer acquisitions and loans restructuring process. It realised the need to improve its process efficiency and minimise duplicate capturing.

RMB Private Bank process architect Ryan Herd says the core focus of the project was customer service. "We weren't aiming to drive down costs from the outset, so we looked at a process management toolset, and how we could use technology to drive efficiencies and reduce turnaround times," he says.

The company's problem was that it had very disparate systems that forced users to interact with six or seven systems in order to complete one task, inputting the same information multiple times.

"We signed Tibco in February 2007 and went through a process of totally redesigning our architecture," says Herd. "We needed to build an architecture and framework to bolt on the BPM - we used Tibco to enable SOA."

The company decided to focus on its valuations process first. "This is where we were having problems with systems stability," says Herd. "Business had picked up, volumes increased and the team was unable to cope using the old valuations system."

A new system was developed in just over two months using the Tibco iProcess system. "In order to remain competitive, we need to deliver the highest levels of client service and fastest turnaround times," Herd notes. "We've implemented a process whereby the moment someone registers for a valuation, we have transparency into where that request is in the process. Proactive monitoring is built in. If, for example, an item is sent to a person and they do not action it, a notification is sent internally."

This is critical as RMB Private Bank uses external valuation personnel who log into the system remotely. It also means that notifications can be sent about items before they become overdue, allowing the valuations team to respond before the client is affected.

"Our second focus was to create a level of transparency so bankers submitting instructions don't have to call [to find out where an instruction is in the process]. With the process engine, we have an extensive audit trail so any individual in the organisation can search on client, account name, property, and so on and see where an instruction is in the process. There is no longer any need for phone calls or e-mails querying instructions. We have an area where they can find out."

The system went live on 23 May. At the time of interviewing, the system had been live less than a month. Says Herd: "We're in the post-implementation phase and it's going reasonably well. We've not really had any system issues and the business has already seen benefits."

According to Herd, RMB Private Bank's primary goal for the system was a level of transparency so it could measure the end-to-end process - from the date of first client interaction to the account going live.

"Valuations is step three in the [client acquisition or loan restructuring process]. It's a smaller step, but quite crucial. We want to explode this to other areas. Once we've automated the entire mortgage origination process, the CEO can log in and see how his business is looking. It will give a 30 000-foot view of what is happening in the business. He will be able to see the volume in each area, which instructions have reached deadline; he may drill down into an area, drill down to sub-processes and so on. We're looking to automate the whole lot."

We need to deliver the highest levels of client service and fastest turnaround times.

Ryan Herd, process architect, RMB Private Bank

Two pieces of the puzzle have already gone through into development, he says. The first is the operations area where the financial institution loads facilities (such as home loans) and access mechanism (credit card or cheque book) requests.

"We probably want to have that automated by August," he adds. "It took a long time to get the framework and architecture in place. Valuation was the first piece. Now that we have that, we can roll out into the next areas - all the little blocks will become one big process, handing over from one to the next."

Originally a two-year plan to automate the entire division - starting 1 January 2008 - Herd says that at this stage, RMB Private Bank is on track to deliver by 2010.