On The Money with Reveka Katakis, Head of Digital Engagement & Social Media, NAB

Hello Reveka. To start off, can you tell us a little bit about your career to date?

My career so far has included stints in software companies, a startup incubator, as well as roles at AGL and Telstra. I then specifically sought out a role at NAB after being really impressed by the "Breakup" campaign. At NAB, our brand campaigns have evolved since then, however the sentiment of supporting our customers still remains true. It's something that really resonated with me then and continues today.

I was first motivated to enter the financial world because of the positive impact banking has on our lives. I believe banks are critical in our everyday micro moments as well as the life changing decisions and experiences, and I wanted to be part of that.

From your point of view, what are the most interesting developments in your sector of financial services currently?

I’ve noticed that even as technology changes, the underlying premise of what people want is ultimately the same; great service, great relationships, and great products. That said, customers will soon have access to a greater range of products and services via our digital channels and we look forward to sharing those details as they become available.

In terms of recent developments, I think Open Banking will provide many new opportunities. It will be interesting to see the customer use cases that emerge from this. I would also expect to see more automation coming to life. I’m looking forward to seeing how it plays out.

And as platforms like Facebook continue to evolve and develop new offerings, where it makes sense we will align and embrace them.

How has your business been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic over the last 18 months?

We have experienced a huge acceleration of digital transformation. For instance, we shifted 85% of our workforce to remote working in a matter of weeks.

Before the pandemic, no NAB home lending appointments took place via video. Now more than 25 per cent are held over Zoom, equating to thousands of conversations over video every month.

Our Simple Home Loans digital home loan application tool is simplifying the application experience for bankers and customers alike.

On a similar note, more than three million conversations were answered by our digital virtual assistant in 2020. That's three times what we saw in 2019.

We’re always guided by the principle of serving our customers well, so we will continue to deliver change, powered by technology, to ensure we are achieving that goal. Digital plays a critical role in this experience across mobile, Internet Banking and online.

How is your business using technology to engage your customers in 2021?

Digital channels are crucial to us meeting our customers’ needs and delivering what matters most to them – an intuitive, connected and memorable experience.

We focus on innovative ways to engage with our customers, including embracing third party messaging channels. If you Google "Call NAB" and click to call from an iOS device or a Google Pixel phone, you're also given the option to message. We've seen over 90,000 calls redirected to a messaging option in the last 12 months. This provides cost efficiencies for NAB, and convenience for customers, who can engage in their own time, at their own pace.

We’ve also leveraged the Giphy platform. For example, we created strategic bespoke gifs and stickers that align with our core principles, and these have had over 180 million views across our branded content to date.