The Swansea sees tech investment bear fruit during pandemic

Swansea Building Society has attributed a record year for the Society to its investment in technology and adaptations to its front-line services over the past twelve months.

Implementation of the Building Society’s digital service, Swansea Online, was brought forward due to the pandemic, following a significant investment in research and development.

To ensure business and customer service continuity during lockdown, the Society introduced a VoIP telephone system, which diverts incoming calls to Society employees’ laptops, allowing staff to work from home and still use their work landline.

Despite the pandemic, Swansea Building Society has continued to recruit staff across the business. This has been achieved by utilising video conferencing software to undertake interviews. Microsoft Teams and Zoom have also been used for all team meetings and to enhance employee connectivity while working remotely.

Alun Williams, chief executive officer, Swansea Building Society, said: “We are very proud of the way the Society has adapted to the very challenging circumstances this year.

"All of the technology and other adaptations we have implemented have been designed solely with the aim of allowing more flexibility for our customers, whilst keeping them and our staff safe in compliance with Government regulations and advice.

“We have been delighted by the way in which our customers have embraced the new technology, and we look forward to encouraging even more members to use it in the future while adding to its functionality.

"The important thing for us is customer choice. We kept all our branches open during the pandemic, ensuring all our customers could access their savings and mortgages in a way that works best for them.

“Whether a customer decides to deal with us in person at a branch office, by telephone, by post or online, the service they receive will be the same – friendly, informed, personal, professional and welcoming. All of the technological advancements are just ways to complement that service, and we remain committed to our ethos of opening and not closing branches.”