Intensified competition, skyrocketing client expectations and mounting cost pressures has pushed retail banks to reassess customer experience (CX).
HSBC is no different. Since 2022, the bank has been building a customer first culture, overhauling how it measures CX and re-examining its customer journeys.
Gail Russell, global head of customer channels and commercialisation, HSBC International Wealth & Premier Banking, talks with Customers Experience Magazine about breaking down silos, customer outcomes and continuous improvement.
CXM: What are the business reasons behind HSBC’s recent CX overhaul?
Gail Russell: It’s rooted in both strategic transformation and competitive necessity. There are many key drivers, ranging from digital transformation and changing customer expectations to operational efficiency and cost reduction; along with others such as reputational risk management
We know customer behaviours are shifting rapidly — clients expect personalised, omnichannel experiences, such as those offered by digital-first organisations and big tech firms.
Legacy systems and complex localised operations bring obvious challenges and prompt a need to modernise customer journeys with simplicity and global consistency in mind.
We know our younger, digitally savvy, customers, demand intuitive, fast, and mobile-first experiences. Our CX overhaul aims to build market share and attract new demographics by matching or exceeding the service levels offered by challenger banks and fintechs.
When it comes to operational efficiency and cost reduction, poor CX often leads to high operational costs such as repeated customer calls, complaints, and manual fixes. Improving CX reduces friction, lowers servicing costs, and improves scalability.
Think global, but act local
In terms of reputational risk management, we know that inconsistent experiences can lead to complaints and mistrust. A uniform and proactive CX approach helps mitigate these risks and build trust across diverse global markets.
The other important factor is global consistency with local relevance. Our evolving CX model supports HSBC’s brand promise by delivering a unified (global) but personalised (local) experience.
CXM: How does HSBC ensure a uniform approach to CX across its global organisation?
Gail Russell: In 2022, we began the groundwork for creating a global customer experience programme, forming a methodology that was to be used globally, was scalable, intuitive, clear and actionable. We wanted a consistent approach that local teams could follow and so the model could roll out across all HSBC’s markets.
This global methodology is HSBC’s CX Model. It’s built on three key pillars: culture, measurement and end-to-end customer journey. It gives us the ability to scale a consistent CX strategy across diverse markets, yet allowing local relevance.
Making CX operational
To put it into practice, a few key elements made a real difference. It was essential for CX to be embedded into governance and performance, so it’s not optional — it’s operational.
And at the heart we needed cross-functional collaboration, where product, operations, digital, and frontline teams work as one to deliver better experiences.
Two more aspects were also important — end-to-end journey thinking, breaking silos and focusing on outcomes that matter most to customers; and above all, a culture of continuous improvement, where feedback fuels action and innovation.
CXM: How is the bank working with Medallia?
Gail Russell: Our partnership with Medallia enhances our customer experience initiatives through an advanced experience management platform. It enables the bank to systematically collect and analyse customer feedback ensuring a consistent and responsive approach to customer needs.
CXM: How is HSBC measuring the success of its various CX initiatives?
Gail Russell: We measure CX initiatives through a structured combination of quantitative metrics, qualitative insights, and key performance indicators.
This includes global benchmarks, such as net promoter score (NPS), to gauge customer loyalty and advocacy. We run a programme to ensure we capture the ‘voice of the customer’. It collects real time feedback which can be segmented by journey stage — onboarding and servicing or complaints — to pinpoint areas for improvement.
Measuring CX
Meanwhile, we measure key themes and response rates to track changes in perception over time.
Other operational metrics are in place to measure CX aspects such as resolution time for complaints.
Each local market is required to meet our global CX standards and will be assessed against consistent benchmarks. Integrating CX key performance indicators is embedded into HSBC leadership culture, into scorecards for example.
CXM: How is the bank changing the culture among frontline staff?
Gail Russell: We are fostering a constantly customer-focused culture among frontline staff — embedding it through a blend of training, incentives, tools, and leadership alignment.
I can give you a sense of how this is being delivered.
A key element is customer-centric frontline training and onboarding programmes — new courses to emphasise essential and expected behaviours, such as deeper empathy, which is obviously a core foundation for customer trust and emotional connection.
Changing the bank’s culture
We’re empowering colleagues through tools and data — providing real time access to customer insights via platforms, such as Medallia. This enables employees to act on feedback promptly, personalise interactions, and resolve issues without escalation, reducing friction for customers and staff.
We’ve changed the way CX metrics fit into performance management. Success is no longer judged only on sales or efficiency; NPS scores are embedded into staff scorecards and performance reviews.
Senior leaders now frequently engage directly with frontline teams and customers — shadowing calls, visiting branches, or reviewing feedback. Employees are encouraged to share customer pain points back to the business, creating a two-way CX feedback loop that values the voice of frontline staff in improving systems and products.
Sharing stories of frontline CX excellence
We take pride in recognising our frontline colleagues. Storytelling is a great way to bring their commitment to a global audience inside the bank. With a customer’s permission, we celebrate moments when employees went above and beyond. This recognition is an impactful way to showcase model behaviour that we want to deliver.
Working together, the components establish a culture where the customer is the central purpose of every interaction. Not just the recipient of a banking service.
CXM: As part of its CX push, how is the bank also developing its employee experience?
Gail Russell: The bank invests in employee experience, and we have a long term programme for this. We gather internal feedback through pulse surveys and feedback forums with leadership. These inputs shape CX decisions such as tools, policy changes, and even physical workspace design.
Learning and development for a customer-centric mindset is essential. We have new modules to cultivate deeper customer empathy and support the CX culture change. Reskilling and upskilling programs are important to help employees’ career paths in the bank. To make this a reality, we’ve built global learning academies and digital training hubs. Some [are] focused on CX alignment and human-centred design.
HSBC promotes a culture of recognition, where employees are publicly celebrated for actions that deliver exceptional customer outcomes. Recognition is vital, to connect employees’ contributions to HSBC’s broader purpose helping staff feel part of something meaningful.
Culture of recognition
I recognise that emotional wellbeing and psychological safety are vital support elements for CX delivery teams. Our programs include mental health support, flexible working policies, and initiatives to create an inclusive, respectful workplace.
To deliver a world-class solution, co-creation must be part of the process. In redesigning customer journeys, HSBC includes both frontline staff and back-office employees in design sprints, pilots, and journey mapping workshops.
This doesn’t just bring excellent design ideas, but also builds shared ownership. This holistic approach reflects a strategic belief that you can’t deliver great CX without delivering great employee experience.
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