Project background

The task Česká spořitelna approached us with was clearly defined – increase the number of mortgages sold at its branch offices by 10%. The solution, however, was not so straightforward. So in February 2014 we launched an innovation project to find it. Thanks to precise field work and customer focus it brought interesting concepts.

The project also revealed that the biggest obstacles to taking a mortgage are fear of payment commitment and insufficient consulting services. So we went on to tackle them.

How we worked

The ultimate goal of this five-month project was to find new ways, innovations and approaches to increase branch productivity. It involved more than a dozen people from the bank, including mortgage specialists, segment and product managers, and research specialists, working closely with 3 consultants from Direct People.

Over these five months we conducted more than 40 empathetic interviews with clients, potential clients and outsiders in various life situations. We questioned people from Jičín, Nymburk, Kolín, Liberec, Prague and Brno. We also did group discussions with the top mortgage sellers from Prague and Brno, as well as a number of mystery shoppings and workshops.

As a result, we collected 350 ideas that we turned into 5 detailed concepts. 3 of these concepts passed market verification tests and were moved to the prototyping phase for further development by Česká spořitelna.

About Česká spořitelna

Česká spořitelna is a banking institution with the longest tradition in the Czech Republic. It is also the biggest with more than 4.6 million clients. It offers its services to individuals and SMEs as well as towns and cities. It also finances big corporations and offers financial consulting. Since 2000 Česká spořitelna has been a member of the strong international Erste Group.