DBS: Customer obsession journey, enhanced by agility at scale and AI
Publication Type
Case
Publication Date
7-2025
Abstract
DBS was recognised as the world's best bank, yet it wanted to deliver even higher customer experience to continue its mission to make banking joyful. So, it further leveraged being data-driven to gain deeper customer insights, and flattened the organisational structure by using cross-functional teams and agile methodology to respond faster to customer and market changes.
In 2020, DBS decided to function as a horizontal organisation, which meant building cross-functional teams that collaborated to enhance customer experiences. The bank also became tremendously data-driven and adopted agile at scale. It did so by building on the previously launched ‘Digital Wave’ strategy that leveraged technology to make banking invisible to customers and, therefore deliver the bank’s purpose of making banking joyful.
Covering the period from 2020 to 2024, the case looks at how the bank developed nine iterative elements, to become agile at scale. It was achieved by maintaining a customer-obsessive focus, leveraging the bank’s learn-and-apply approach, providing employee training, and the continuous effort to scale ‘Managing through Journeys (MtJs) across the bank—all of which eventually led to maximised customer value.
Participants will learn how DBS implemented agility at scale by mapping the customer journey end-to-end, and leveraging collected data, thus creating ‘Managing through Journeys’—a better way to work that enhanced customer experience. Students will learn:
• How to leverage data, AI, and cross-functional teams for exceptional customer experience • What it takes to adopt agile at scale • Solutions to agile challenges • The leader’s role in agile implementation • Agile implementation best practices
Keyword(s)
AI and machine learning, analytics and data science, banks and banking, business management, change management, digital transformation, customer obsession, agility at scale, financial services, strategic execution
Discipline
Strategic Management Policy
Research Areas
Finance
Data Source
Field Research
Industry
Commercial banking industry
Geographic Coverage
Singapore
Temporal Coverage
2023
Education Level
Postgraduate; Undergraduate
Publisher
Singapore Management University
Case ID
SMU-25-0004
Additional URL
https://ccx-shop.smu.edu.sg/products/dbs-customer-obsession-journey-enhanced-by-agility-at-scale-and-ai?variant=42955746443306
Comments
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