"We need to invest in our own people, and to differentiate ourselves through our customer service - which is also all about people. SWIFT accreditation meets both requirements. We are investing in our people, rewarding them and making them more confident in their roles. And we are providing our customers with world-class service."
This is the view of Charles Henry Dubarry, Head of Direct Channels and Integration, Global Transaction Banking, HSBC. "We are focused on providing advisory solutions to our corporate customers," he continues. "We need to make sure that all our customer-facing people are up to date with the latest expertise in SWIFT, and other fields. To advise our customers, it is essential we understand their backgrounds, needs and infrastructures as well as their own teams do."
"SWIFT is SWIFT wherever you implement it. We differentiate in how we advise our customers to get the best out of SWIFT when it comes to HSBC."
The determination to differentiate HSBC in a marketplace in which they could see a growing take-up of SWIFT for Corporates led Dubarry and his colleague Jason Dove, Manager, Client Integration, Payments and Cash Management at HSBC, to pilot the new ‘Using SWIFT - Certification Programme', specifically the SWIFT for Corporates Specialist certification, in Europe last year.
HSBC has since put its client integration teams in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East through the certification programme. According to Dubarry and Dove, the bank and, more importantly, its customers, are reaping significant benefits as a result.
Dove explains that, while his team's knowledge of how banks use SWIFT was very strong, its understanding of how corporates use SWIFT was less so. Having decided to "tap into SWIFT to stay ahead of the curve", HSBC approached SWIFT with its requirements. SWIFT created a bespoke course to meet its needs, and the integration teams took examinations at the end to confirm they had reached the required standard of knowledge about SWIFT for Corporates. As a result, the Using SWIFT - Certification Programme was born (The first available certifications are SWIFT for Corporates Specialist and Alliance Access/Entry Operator - and others will follow.)
The trainer who worked with HSBC - Per Stahle - combined the right business and technical knowledge and kept pace with the demands of Dove's "passionate, detailed" team, he says.
Since the certification has been completed, Dubarry and Dove report a marked increase in the functional knowledge of the integration teams, the confidence and satisfaction of corporate customers, and the appeal of its SWIFT-based electronic banking services to potential clients. "Today, the client drives the solution in many ways," Dove says. "We have to be flexible. If the client wants to talk to us about SWIFT, or a specific ERP system, we have to be able to respond. And when we are implementing SWIFT with customers now, I observe clients showing instant confidence when they see we understand what they are trying to do. I see clients feeling they are receiving better service because we are better informed. I also see the power of this certification when our sales colleagues are talking to customers, and can say that a SWIFT accredited consultant will handle their implementation."
Dubarry compares the SWIFT accreditation to the well-established and well-respected ERP accreditations many of HSBC's integration managers already held. "Most if not all of our integration managers are ERP accredited already," he says. "This has enabled us to help our customers get the most out of their ERP solutions when it comes to bank services. Applying the same approach to connectivity means we need to provide our customers with advice to optimise their chosen connectivity option.
"Our integration teams now have a seamless understanding of SWIFT, and can help our customers optimise their SWIFT connectivity. And this is a key strength in our customer service approach."
Going forward, Dove says HSBC will explore other opportunities for SWIFT certification relating to new solutions the corporate customer base embraces. Regarding the existing certification, "we want to keep the momentum going", Dubarry adds. "This will develop in two directions. First, we will need to regularly renew the accreditation for our teams, and bring up to speed new team members as they join. Second, we may need to extend the accreditation and the pre-accreditation training into new areas. The integration requirement for trade will increase sharply in the coming months and years, and we will need to increase our knowledge of this to the same level as our knowledge of cash management."
"As our clients' requirements change, they are looking for partners who are on top of those changes. Implementing SWIFT certification has been an extremely valuable experience for us. The results have exceeded our expectations, and my only regret is that we didn't do it a few years earlier," Dove concludes.