Home stretch to the Symposium
A month from today, over 300 leaders advancing financial inclusion globally will come together in Cape Town. On their minds will be one thing–how can we, as providers, donors, academics, consultants, and support organizations, ensure that poor, excluded clients have access to and use financial services that enable them to improve their lives.
The two-day MasterCard Foundation Symposium on Financial Inclusion is all about delivering client value. In an earlier blog post, we spoke about the first day of the Symposium. On the second day, we’ll ask the difficult questions that keep us up at night:
- Does it make business sense for providers to invest so heavily on customer service?
- Will microfinance institutions, the ones we’ve been familiar with for decades, continue to have a role in a time when technology drives so much success?
- Is it possible for an institution, new or old, to align all of its business units and functions in a client-centric way in the face of so many other day-to-day business challenges?
There are no readymade answers to these questions but at SoFI2015 we’ll take the time to share ideas and practices that have begun to show results. Our hope is that these discussions inspire all of us to deepen what we are already doing to address client needs.
Like last year, a key session at this year’s Symposium will be dedicated to a debate. This year’s proposition is: “Microfinance institutions will be the primary providers meeting the financial services needs and expectations of excluded groups in a digitally enabled world.”
While the topic of the continued role of microfinance institutions is not a new one, our panelists will talk about which type of institution will really dedicate itself to understand client needs and aspirations, whether through leveraging technology or other means, and most importantly, who will deliver enhanced customer value proposition.
The debate will be moderated by Khalil Shariff, the CEO of Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC), who understands the many nuances of this debates topic given AKFC’s multi-faceted approach to development.
Just before the debate, Kim Wilson, Senior Fellow and Lecturer at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, will moderate a panel with CEOs of three financial service institutions on how they built and continue to maintain a team that that is committed to client service. This is a tricky challenge faced by many leaders who may be working with a team of people who believe they are already client-centric. This is common when staff have not been informed of a vision for client-centricity nor given the right tools and resources to deliver on that vision.
Other features of Day Two will be keynote addresses by Claire Burns and Dr. James Mwangi. Claire Burns is the Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer at Metlife. In 2014, she was awarded the Chief Customer Officer of the Year Award for making changes that had direct results on Metlife’s relationship with its clients, and in turn, on Metlife’s bottom line. She will outline for attendees her story of embedding a culture of client value across the organization. Dr. James Mwangi will speak about how Equity Bank has grown to be a brand associated with trust, relevance, and the highest level of customer service.
As you can tell, there is a packed agenda waiting for you at SoFI2015. Whether you are attending in person or following live blogs and other social media activities remotely, we hope that the conversations in Cape Town will lead to even more meaningful discussions and debates in offices across the globe.