News Update: Developments in the Credit Industry, Reports and AI in Customer Engagement

Paul Sweeney, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Webio, discusses the top stories effecting the credit and finance sector this week.

Section 1: General Industry News

UK Inflation Update: Inflation fell by more than 2% between September and October, with a current rate of 4.6%. Despite this, overall price levels are still 16% higher than in October 2021.
UK Mortgage Trends: UK Finance reports an 18% increase in residential mortgage arrears and a 29% rise in buy-to-let mortgage arrears in Q3 of 2023.
Irish Household Debt: Economist Dan O’Brien notes a decrease in Irish household debt in 2022, with annual disposable income now exceeding outstanding debt, a significant change from the 2007-2011 period.

Section 2: BNPL, FinTech, and Related

A16z’s New Tax Venture: The US VC firm backs a new AI-first tax solution aimed at accounting and tax consulting firms, promising faster and more accurate tax compliance.
Irish Banks vs. Instant Payments: Irish banks end a venture to compete in instant payments, conceding the space to companies like Revolute and Wise.

Section 3: Reports on Customer Experience

KPMG’s Customer Experience Report: Highlights a 3.8% decline in UK customer experience to pre-COVID-19 levels, with empathy dropping by 6.4%. First Direct's "dot the bot" initiative in autonomous banking is a notable example of using AI to enhance customer experience.
Forrester Research on Chatbots: Emphasizes the importance of conversational design, intelligent routing using intents, embracing next-generation conversational AI, and continuous evaluation for effective chatbot implementation.

Key Takeaways:

AI Assistants Boost Customer Experience: Implementing AI assistant strategies leads to higher customer experience scores.
AI’s Role Across the Customer Journey: AI's versatility is evident in its applications across all stages of the customer journey.
AI Alignment with Business Models: Aligning AI with value streams and networks can transform business operations and customer value delivery.
Conversational AI’s Evolution: Success in conversational AI requires attention to design, routing, ongoing advancements, and continuous performance evaluation.

Recommendation: Review these reports for insights on integrating AI and effective design into customer experience strategies.

Sources