CaixaBank operates the largest retail banking footprint in Spain. Due to the high marketplace penetration, the key business challenge for them was sustaining long-term growth. The solution they came up with was their unique Click & Go loan. The product maximizes internal growth potential by targeting current customers with pre-approved, instant credit. As of now, this wildly successful program already accounts for 30% of CaixaBank’s personal loan portfolio.
We’re pleased to bring you the second installment in our series of financial services case studies. The goal of these articles is to showcase outstanding solutions in the world of lending. As you know, in our work, we often focus on the alternative lending arena, but we love to bring an outside perspective as well. This case study looks at how a big retail bank leveraged their digital infrastructure along with a customer-centric mindset to accelerate a declining growth rate. CaixaBank reminds us that size isn’t the only measure of success. Sometimes the strongest profit potential is hiding in plain sight. For example, in the form of a customer database that’s waiting to be mined for incremental lifetime value (LTV).
The reason why Click & Go is interesting to us is that it’s a 100% online loan system that delivers both tangible and intangible benefits. The tangible benefits include: increased number of booked loans, decreased acquisition costs, decreased charge-off rates, decreased operational expenses, increased lifetime value (LTV), and improved profits. The intangible benefits are: banking industry recognition, technology awards, and improved brand awareness. These intangible benefits converted to financial gains when the positive publicity enhanced external loan acquisition efforts. The result was an increase in overall market penetration; especially among younger, high-value borrowers.
Challenge
Caixa was grappling with the downside of success. The challenge of continuing to grow when you’re already the largest, most prestigious bank in your geographic area. They found the solution in their long-term, customer-centric business model. This meant listening to their customers when they said a loan should be, “…as easy as click once and get on with my life.” This simple phrase was the inspiration and the driving force behind Click & Go.
Solution
Click & Go leverages Caixa’s award-winning digital infrastructure to put pre-approved loans in front of customers at the exact moment when they are looking for additional credit.
It is an automated, online lending system designed with these key features:
- 100% digital delivery from promotional communications to application submission, and from loan approval to funds transfer.
- Omni-channel promotional communications: email, online notices via mobile app, SMS, ATMs, branch visits, etc.
- €300 to €15,000 range with 6 to 48-month repayment terms.
- Repayment simulator tool that automatically calculates the total borrower cost for different loan scenarios. The customer can easily vary the loan amount, interest rate, and repayment term.
- 30-second credit decisions are supported by preset rules with established interest rates, loan limits, and repayment terms.
- Instant digital funds transfer to customer’s account.
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Results
Many conventional financial operations are skeptical about going digital. But let’s look at all the positive business outcomes Caixa got after the implementation of Click & Go:
- Increased profitability.
- Improved brand image.
- Delighted customers, which increased retention as well as LTV.
- Delivered operational efficiencies via automation. These efficiencies reduced cost per loan. They also freed up time that managers can use to build stronger customer relationships, and develop innovative new products.
- Increased market penetration among young, high-value clients (34.5% for CaixaBank vs. 14.2% for next peer bank).
- Reduced portfolio charge-offs with behavioral credit scoring that’s generated from in-house account activity.
- Improved external acquisition marketing efforts, achieved by leveraging the halo effect of positive publicity. Their impressive market penetration increased by a proportional 7.1% (from 24.0% to 25.7%).
- Recognized by Forrester as best mobile banking platform in Europe.
Next Steps
The example of CaixaBank isn’t only relevant for equally big enterprises. Your lending operation could reach this same level of organic growth and profitability with a fully managed lending-as-a-service (LaaS) solution from Turnkey Lender. Our award-winning platform automates the whole lending process and delivers four key advantages to your organization:
- Automation increases processing efficiency and reduces human error.
- Alternative scoring methodologies and proprietary credit scoring algorithms (continually optimized with machine learning) improve credit decisions.
- Cloud hosting gets your team up-to-speed quickly, and cloud managed cyber safety protocols ensure data security.
- Regulatory compliance expertise ensures adherence to new banking rules as soon as they’re published by governing bodies.
If you’re ready to give TurnKey Lender a try, reach out for a free trial, and our team will be happy to show you what we can do for your lending business.