In spring 2020, UMB closed branch lobbies out of an abundance of caution. The UMB Customer Experience (CX) team recognized we quickly needed to rethink customer support and issue resolution. With our day-to-day banking operations shifted to keep our customers and associates safe during the beginning of the pandemic, we were challenged to find unique ways to connect and support our customers’ financial needs in this new uncertain time. In fact, customer expectations were becoming more demanding globally, industry agnostic, throughout the pandemic and many customers began facing personal financial stress.

The CX Ambassador team turned this time of uncertainty into an opportunity to rise to the occasion with an innovative response during the onset of the pandemic into the closed loop feedback program and standard which to measure. The program has significantly improved speed to resolution while also surprising and delighting our customers. Prior to the creation of the CX Ambassador program, on average we responded to 58% of our customer surveys in seven days. Now we respond to 95%+ in less than three days. Customers are hearing from our associates sooner with a very purposeful dialogue focusing on empathy, our relationship and it is making a difference, both to issue resolution and in terms of relationship deepening. The program has grown beyond UMB’s Retail Bank and has set the bar in each division of the bank.