Bank scales automation and improves CX

The introduction of the “credit vacations” policy was initiated to help Polish mortgage holders deal with higher interest rates and allowed for the postponement of up to eight loan payments split between 2022 and 2023. Beneficiaries included those having to pay loans with variable and fixed interest rates. At the time, the nine largest Polish banks estimated a customer participation rate of between 50 percent and 100 percent of total customers. However, the industry found itself under sudden mounting pressure once an estimated 500,000 Polish mortgage holders opted in on the program in the first two days after it came into force, representing approximately 25% of those eligible.

Faced with historic inflation levels as well as increased scrutiny from central legislators—who warned banks against introducing cumbersome procedures for borrowers—banks in Poland had to act fast and modernise operations to best serve customers. The UiPath platform provided several of the largest banks in Poland, such as Bank Pekao S.A. and PKO Bank Polski with a solid framework to build their automation-driven digital strategies.

“The UiPath Business Automation Platform helped increase effectiveness and operational efficiency at Bank Pekao S.A. Thanks to the use of robots, we have reduced costs, significantly shortened the time of handling various types of instructions and implemented improvements that benefitted the quality of customer service,” said Błażej Szczecki, Chief Transformation Officer at Bank Pekao SA. “Thanks to automation, we also increased the digital competencies of our employees. As part of our Robotisation Academy, participants learnt how to build robots on their own. As a leader in the use of automation in the banking sector, we are satisfied with the cooperation of UiPath, whose technology allows us to continuously adapt to the rapidly changing needs of customers and the market and maintain regulatory compliance.”

Agnieszka Wrońska, Managing Director Services Transformation Division at PKO Bank Polski, said: "Robotic process automation (RPA) technology allows us to perform repetitive, large-volume tasks faster and easier, enabling us to better respond to customer needs. Automation enhances product features, improves customer experience and increases competitiveness. Thus, it allows us to deliver services faster and at a lower cost – by delivering greater efficiency. We are using automation in every aspect of our back-office operations and have achieved proven benefits. Thanks to hyper-automation we can free up highly specialised staff, enabling our employees to perform more creative and demanding tasks."

After deploying UiPath, Polish lenders reported the following business outcomes:

Ability to scale operations fast without strain to staff: by implementing automation, lenders were able to scale their operations to absorb the large volume of applications, which were received at their subsidiaries as well as online via e-mail and banking apps.

Fast response to business operations challenges: the easy-to-deploy UiPath technology allowed banks to develop business automation solutions in a matter of weeks, not months.

Increased resiliency and agility in the face of change: by seamlessly scaling their operations according to business needs, banks maintained agility and successfully coped with internal and external pressures.

Valuable support for strained staff: with automation alongside its highly trained workers, banks did not have to undertake the task of employing and training hundreds of temporary staff.

Renewed resilience amid potential fallouts from legislation: as Polish banks operate amid concerns from international banking bodies such as the European Central Bank that the scheme could potentially impact profitability and create uncertainty, it’s crucial that they navigate this challenge successfully.

“By leveraging UiPath, these Polish banks were able to design, develop, and execute automations fast, increasing their resilience in the face of heightened risk. In doing so, the Polish financial services sector innovated using UiPath AI-powered automation, successfully maintaining business continuity and excellent levels of customer service,” said Mark Gibbs, President of Europe, Middle East, and Africa region at UiPath.

“For businesses, one of the biggest challenges is to innovate under pressure. Fortunately, these large institutions serving a huge population of customers in Poland successfully handled customer requests in unique circumstances using the UiPath Platform,” said Mateusz Majewski, Area Vice President Southeastern Europe at UiPath.

In recognition of its support, UiPath was named “Solution Supplier of the Year for Banks” during the prestigious Banking and Insurance Forum recently held in Warsaw. This distinguished award recognises software providers that have played a crucial role in the past year in supporting banks to overcome challenges and successfully perform critical business operations. The award jury statement read: “Thanks to the UiPath platform, banks were able to build an automatic process for handling applications in a matter of weeks and buy time, given that the regulation on credit holidays was finalised only a week before its entry into force. Without UiPath robots, handling this task would not have been possible, because it would have required the employment and training of several hundred people.”