Swedbank's small steps
Swedbank • www.swedbank.ee
A small step for a customer, a giant leap for a bank. Swedbank is the largest bank in the entire Baltic region. Despite its strong position, it recognised the need to strengthen its appeal among business customers as competition intensified and expectations evolved. Even market leaders can't afford to stand still.
For an organisation of Swedbank’s scale, implementing change — no matter how small — is never simple. That’s why they started with something seemingly minor yet highly impactful: eliminating small transaction fees measured in cents. While this adjustment might appear insignificant, Brand Manual’s research revealed it had a profound effect on customer behaviour and reshaped perceptions of the bank’s overall value and quality. This was just the first visible step in a broader journey towards becoming a more user-centred organisation.
Our team researched the journeys of target customer segments through extensive one-on-one and focus group interviews. This unearthed valuable insights into the diverse needs, behaviours, and expectations of what initially seemed to be a homogenous group.
Key to the project’s success was close collaboration with Swedbank’s pan-Baltic teams. Together, we trained and empowered them, embedding innovation and user-centred design into their ways of working. By equipping them with new competencies and fostering a mindset of continuous improvement, Swedbank now has the tools to drive customer-focused initiatives independently.
While these foundational steps may not be immediately visible to the public, they represent significant progress. They help Swedbank stay competitive, create unique advantages, and develop innovative services and solutions for its diverse client base — now and in the future, one small step at a time.
Kudos to Not Perfect for the creative execution of this small victory.
