SHB: Innovating and Creating to Better Serve Our Customers

At 9 pm, Mr. Hoang (42 years old) was attracted by a financial solution while watching the VTV1 Finance Flow news. This solution is used by SiBa Food Vietnam JSC, which owns about 30 retail food stores in the northern provinces and cities.

With thousands of customers visiting their stores daily, SiBa Food’s accounting department had to spend a lot of time on calculations and reconciliations, making it challenging to manage cash flow. However, after adopting SLINK, all the company’s incoming and outgoing cash transactions are automatically updated.

Mr. Tran Cong Van, Northern Branch Director of SiBa Food Vietnam JSC, shared that by linking the company’s ERP software with SHB’s SLINK Identified Collection Service, all transactions made at the stores are instantly reflected in their accounting software. This eliminates the need for manual work by the accounting team.

Mr. Hoang’s clothing store chain faced similar challenges, and SLINK is one of the services they are utilizing. They also benefit from various other SHB services, including payments, loans/online disbursements, and payroll…

SHB’s SLINK Identified Collection Service is highly regarded for its superior cash management capabilities, especially for administrative and educational institutions such as Thai Binh University, the University of Transport, and the School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts – Vietnam National University, Hanoi… and enterprises with chains; ensuring flexibility, speed, and efficiency. Interestingly, this product was conceived based on the idea of an SHB staff member who listened to and incorporated customer feedback.

Along with the Automatic Credit Approval System (ACAS), SLINK won accolades at the Digital CX Awards 2024, making SHB the first Vietnamese bank to achieve a double win at this event.

Customers and Bank: Companions on the Journey

Mr. Hoang has been an SHB customer for over a decade, even before becoming a business owner. Recalling his earlier days as an employee, he shared that while life wasn’t too difficult, there were also no excess funds. During months with unexpected events or expenses, he had to borrow money from various sources. This was when he first learned about SHB’s unsecured loan program, which was also the first service he utilized.

As he expanded his clothing store chain, he continued to rely on SHB loans for business growth. He also uses his SHB account for payroll and transactions with partners… SHB’s processes have now been digitized and simplified while still ensuring compliance and security, making online transactions convenient and swift.

Over the years, SHB has become Mr. Hoang’s financial companion. In return, Mr. Hoang has become a loyal customer of SHB and has made friends with the bank’s staff, both professionally and personally. The relationship between the customer and SHB goes beyond financial transactions; it’s a connection between people, from heart to heart, fostering mutual support and sharing.

SLINK is one of the co-created products born from the exchange and understanding between customers and SHB staff. With a customer-centric approach, SHB employees strive to provide the best service and care for their clients. They listen, innovate, and create together to deliver the finest products and services.

“I stick with SHB because of their dedicated staff,” shared Mr. Hoang. “They are always ready to address my concerns, provide solutions, and genuinely care about their customers.”

It’s not uncommon to find customers who have been with SHB for over a decade. The bank continues to be a trusted companion for its clients.

Innovation and Renewal: Serving Customers Better

Alongside the “From the Heart” philosophy, which guides all SHB’s activities, the spirit of innovation, creativity, and breakthrough permeates the organization. Building on last year’s success, the “From Heart to Mind” program in 2024 fosters innovation, creativity, and transformation within SHB, engaging thousands of staff members and fostering a unique culture.

In 2023, hundreds of ideas were proposed by SHB employees, and dozens of them have been implemented internally. For instance, the “Spreading Orange Color” program, which supports local business, is one of the proposals from the contest and is now being rolled out across all SHB branches in the provinces. Other products and services, such as RoboX – a solution for digitizing and automating business processes, and the SHB Corporate Mobile application, also originated from this program.

With dedication to their work, SHB employees constantly innovate to support customers and improve efficiency, processes, and systems. “SHB’s leaders always encourage and recognize staff initiatives to enhance labor productivity and business performance,” shared Ms. Ngo Thu Ha, CEO of SHB. “SHB is committed to providing opportunities for employees to learn, grow, and unlock their potential, both professionally and personally, from Heart to new Heights.”

In 2023, SHB introduced the “Regulation on Recognition of Initiatives and Improvements,” offering policies and benefits to motivate, encourage, and create an environment for employees to develop their creativity. This initiative has led to significant rewards and recognition for SHB employees who have contributed valuable initiatives and improvements.

By automating processes with robots and managing business processes, SHB has reduced operating costs and improved business efficiency. The bank has increased productivity by 35-50% with thousands of transactions daily. Additionally, automation has resulted in an 85% time savings in internal handovers between departments at the branches and faster transaction processing at the transaction centers and branches.

The technology platform enables SHB’s comprehensive and cost-effective digital transformation, contributing to the lowest CIR (Cost-to-Income Ratio) in the Vietnamese banking industry.

Many solutions and services are born from SHB’s journey of listening, understanding, and crystallizing the collective intelligence, creativity, and innovation of its employees. SHB’s Vice Chairman, Mr. Do Quang Vinh, shared that the bank always fosters creativity and embraces new challenges. SHB focuses on building an open and innovative work environment while preserving the traditional humane values from the Heart.

For SHB, the success of the transformation is not only reflected in superior financial indicators but also in the satisfaction and pride of its employees, who actively participate in the bank’s transformation strategy. This cultural foundation has helped SHB attract talent and foster employee engagement in developing services, solutions, and the bank’s growth.

In 2024, SHB is concentrating its resources on implementing a robust and comprehensive transformation strategy based on four pillars: Reform of mechanisms, policies, regulations, and processes; People as the subject; Customer and market centricity; and Modernization of information technology and digital transformation, firmly adhering to six core cultural values: “Heart – Trust – Faith – Knowledge – Wisdom – Height.”

Several changes will be implemented starting in 2024, as SHB continues its journey of Innovation – Responsibility – Efficiency, striving to achieve its goals and mark new milestones.