Simon Gassmann, Chief Information Officer at Quilvest (Switzerland) Ltd., shares his experience on developing the new Quilvest Mobile app, revealing the benefits to the client, their long-term vision, and how Simon and his colleagues are guiding Quilvest into the digital age.
Congratulations, Simon! Quilvest has just launched a new client app. How does that feel?
Thanks, it feels great. It is our first step into the ‘Mobile App World’. We developed it with a firm focus on our customers’ needs. Easy access wherever they are – this is much more convenient for them.
What is the biggest advantage of the app for your clients?
The app gives customers an overview of their assets at a glance but also the option of seeing more details as required. We want the customer to feel a bit like they have their personal client relationship manager in their pocket.
What do you mean by ‘having their client relationship manager in the pocket?’
We see that our clients connect more and more with their relationship managers using various chat applications. While this may be convenient for clients, there is the question of data security. The chat features don’t meet Quilvest’s privacy standards. By having a chat function integrated into our own app, clients can contact their client relationship manager with the touch of a button and data security is guaranteed.
Clients use various chat applications. While this may be convenient for clients, we do not want to compromise on the question of data security.
What else can the app do?
Most important, it has a secure login feature called QVS Access, using either a fingerprint, face recognition or a PIN to authenticate the user’s identity.
The accounts and portfolio overview has an option to go deeper, show the individual positions and investment performance. Customers can also check their latest transactions and communicate with their client relationship manager using voice or secure chat. Market information and QVS corporate news are also updated daily to keep our clients up-to-date.
Did you come across unexpected challenges during the developing process?
Well, it is our first step into the mobile world, so the start was challenging in more ways than one. For instance, making sure staff resources were allocated adequately for product development. With our partners’ help and lots of internal resources, we successfully developed a user friendly, useful mobile application. Our main aim is to cover as many functions as needed without overloading the app. It was also challenging to make sure the app, appealed to different client groups across younger and older generations.
Our early-stage testing phases and subsequent surveys helped a lot in reaching our goals.
It was an incredible learning experience, which will definitely benefit our other projects as we move along. The intensive exchange with our clients around this topic was very inspiring and helpful to the process.
What do you consider the app’s most significant achievement?
The app’s greatest success is its functionality. To get there, we approached the client relationship managers and listened carefully to their views and inputs.
In terms of Quilvest (Switzerland) Ltd.’s digital transformation journey, where are you in the process?
This is such an important and ongoing process. We want to make sure our transformation journey is headed in the right direction, and for this careful planning is essential. For example, we do not just digitize existing analogue processes. We review and optimize them, by simplifying and automating as much as possible, using the latest digital technologies. This helps to identify synergies which lead to increased productivity.
We decided to adopt an open development approach, enabling us to react quickly to customer needs. Next in the pipeline for this app are payment functions, which will boost its popularity even more.
What is your vision in terms of the digitalization of Quilvest (Switzerland) Ltd.? What are your next stepping stones?
We’ll stay on the path we are currently on. In other words, we will continue to develop the E-Banking platform. In addition, we will continue to analyze and adapt our processes for improved performance. We will also continue to develop, together with our users, the mobile app by adding handy new features.
Thank you for this opportunity to find out more about the digital transformation at Quilvest (Switzerland) Ltd.
Mobile App
Tailored to the needs of our customers.
Credits: Photo #01 – Chat Overview Quilvest Mobile App.