NatWest partners Microsoft, Accenture for customer engagement platform

NatWest has partnered with Microsoft and IT services firm Accenture as it looks to replace its multi-system legacy frontline architecture with one central digital platform.

NatWest’s new setup will leverage Microsoft Dynamics 365

The new customer engagement platform will leverage Microsoft Dynamics 365 and integrate all of NatWest’s front office systems across its contact centre and branches, customer messaging, video banking and complaints channels on to a unified digital platform.

The platform will enable NatWest to build “value and loyalty through deeper customer insights and relationships”, Microsoft says.

The first service to be rolled out following the revamp is a new real-time appointment booking service which will reduce booking times by up to 75%. NatWest claims this could free up approximately 88,000 hours of employee time which can be better spent elsewhere.

NatWest’s chief digital information officer, retail banking, Wendy Redshaw, says: “Our investment in integrating all of our colleague support tools onto one, digital platform will enable our staff to really focus on delivering personalised support.”

Nina Raphael, managing director in Accenture’s UK financial services practice, says the single digital platform will improve speed and efficiency as well as enable “many more hours to be dedicated to the human side of banking”.

Raphael adds: “This is particularly crucial given the financial challenges that many in the UK are facing with energy price hikes, bigger bills and tax increases.”