A multi-year partnership to help the UK's 6th largest bank modernise customer experiences and shape the future of digital banking.

The client

Virgin Money is a full-service bank with a heritage spanning over 180 years. They provide market-leading products and services to cater to the diverse needs of their 6.6 million retail and business banking customers. This is accomplished through their cutting-edge technology platform, telephone banking services, and a nationwide network of innovative stores and business banking centres.

The challenge

Virgin Money needed to improve the customer experience across a wide range of digital channels. Recognising this need, they were looking for an agency with specialist expertise in Design Thinking, multi-channel design, and the ability to drive innovation in enterprise technology.

The solution

To address the challenge, we created a diverse range of web, mobile, and AI-based solutions. These solutions were specifically designed to simplify open banking processes, provide user-friendly mortgage calculators, and elevate the overall experience of retail high street banking.

Innovation consultancy

Virgin Money does things differently, embracing disruption and challenging the status quo. Our team of UX and UI strategists and planners closely collaborated with Virgin Money's innovation team to bring a visionary, strategic approach to digital transformation.

Through our innovation consultancy, we have helped Virgin Money envision brand new online customer experiences and create seamless customer interactions.


Accessing banking services with Voice

Virgin Money were keen to explore the potential of voice technology in retail customer banking. Working in close collaboration with the bank's innovation teams, we developed a prototype voice skill for Amazon Alexa. This prototype showcased the potential for voice access to information and account transactions. Customers can inquire about their account balance, bill due dates, standing orders, and expenditure within a specified timeframe.

The resulting solution successfully demonstrated the use cases and technical feasibility of this new customer interface, positioning Virgin Money for future UK legislative changes enabling secure voice transactions.

Studio B – a new retail banking proposition

Through our partnership with the Virgin Money Studio B team, we had the opportunity to contribute toward an innovative branch concept called Studio B. This creative, interactive, and community-focused space was designed to revolutionise how customers experience and interact with their banking services.

The core idea behind Studio B is to reimagine the conventional branch setting and establish it as a collaborative environment that promotes learning, where customers can explore the balance between life and finances within a unique space.

Studio B opened in 2017 and incorporated a voice skill that we designed and developed to enhance the customer experience in this innovative branch.

Simplifying mortgage calculators

Our work on Virgin Money's mortgage calculators demonstrates our expertise in modernising and enhancing the user experience of complex online applications. By simplifying front-end UI and application design, improving usability, and streamlining the process, we made it easier for customers to navigate and make informed decisions.

Delivering quality at speed

To support Virgin Money's objective of providing new communication channels for their customers, we created a cross-functional Agile team that seamlessly integrated with Virgin's existing 600+ development team.

Throughout the project, we provided technical architecture, design, development, and testing capabilities to Virgin Money. This enabled them to accelerate their program delivery and meet their ambitious timelines successfully.

Results

What began as a single project has evolved into a strong partnership encompassing planning, design, and technical innovation. We take pride in supporting Virgin Money's industry-leading approach to banking innovation and commitment to customer excellence.

Talk to the team that can support your next project.