Seeing people as their most important asset and helping them build long-term and fulfilling careers, DBS Bank has continually improved its employee experience, leveraging internal feedback to undertake targeted interventions. “It resulted in benefits such as improved advocacy, retention, and motivation, ” says Kishore Poduri, Managing Director, and Country Head – HR, DBS Bank India.
The bank has been working on harnessing emerging technologies such as AI, machine learning (ML), and big data analytics to tailor the employee experience by making processes more responsive and efficient. For example, they introduced OneBot, a 24/7 virtual assistant that every DBS employee can use for real-time queries and support. It serves as a swift problem-solving mechanism for day-to-day HR, IT, and admin queries using artificial intelligence and natural language processing. “We have seen high levels of interaction on OneBot – monthly average message volumes received in India vary between 5500 and 6000. The fact that the resolution to most of these questions is automated helps to significantly reduce the time spent by HR support staff on routine inquiries. By integrating AI into key HR functions, OneBot creates a smoother employee experience and reduces toil,” explains Kishore.
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Leveraging AI to enhance experience
Seeing AI and Gen AI as game changers and an enabler to pathbreaking developments fundamentally reshaping the way we view work in the next five years, DBS Bank has also been integrating AI into strategic workforce planning. “This is aimed to enable us to accurately forecast long-term business needs and assess future workforce requirements,” says Kishore.
To bring everyone along, by focusing on the synergy between human and AI capabilities i.e. to use Gen AI to supplement human skillsets, Kishore suggests expanding AI-powered training programs.
“We also offer comprehensive training to equip all employees with proficiency in prompt engineering and other AI tools. This includes tailored modules for roles directly utilising AI, ensuring our workforce is skilled in these technologies. The goal is to craft targeted development programs that align with the bank’s anticipated needs,” explains Kishore.
AI-driven engagement initiatives and their impact
Since implementing AI-driven engagement initiatives, says Kishore the bank has observed significant improvement in both employee satisfaction and productivity, as benchmarked to competitors. “Our internal dipstick studies, including the annual employee engagement survey MyVoice, run by an external party, indicate positive trends across various aspects of engagement.”
The consistent emphasis on improving employee well-being as a Group resulted in a well-being score of 89% in 2023, 10 percentage points above that of other financial services institutions, informs Kishore. “To improve productivity, we equip employees with workbenches that provide one-stop platforms to perform their tasks, as well as by automating and optimising workflows. A good indicator is that in 2023, these initiatives resulted in a MyVoice score on Productivity of 88% at a Group level, 19 percentage points above that of other financial services institutions.”
To boost employee engagement and develop a robust, future-ready workforce, DBS’ AI-driven tool, “Job Intelligence Maestro” (JIM), facilitates the job application process by reviewing resumes, conducting psychometric assessments, and identifying potential resignations in advance. “This reduces the time and effort required for screening and onboarding and even improves candidate fitment, freeing up recruiters to concentrate on value-added activities where human discretion is more useful like sourcing candidates, conducting interviews, providing talent advisory, or even on enhancing their own skill sets. The time taken to review each CV has reduced significantly, from 40 minutes to 8 minutes on average,” asserts Kishore.I to identify skill gaps and personalise employee upskilling
Emphasizing its employees to adopt a growth mindset and equip themselves with future-ready skills, the bank leverages AI to identify skill gaps and tailor upskilling or reskilling programs, ensuring the workforce is well-prepared for current and emerging challenges. “One example of this strategy in action from DBS Bank India is iGrow – our personalised growth and development platform powered by AI/ML,” informs Kishore.
“The platform is trained to collate and analyse employee career aspirations to curate personalised education-exposure-experience (70-20-10) from a host of more than ten thousand courses.” iGrow has achieved a 77% adoption rate since its launch in 2023.