Metro’s new Head of Operations, Bernadette Leyva-Vorn, is utilising new technologies to streamline operations, enabling the Metro team to spend more time with customers
As one of Australia’s most innovative non-bank lenders, Metro Finance continues to be at the forefront of utilising new technologies, processes and systems, as part of its mission to deliver high-quality customer services and solutions; many of which have already been recognised by the finance industry with awards and accolades for both the Metro business and its amazing people.
Leading Metro on its journey as a continued innovator in its customer-led approach is Head of Operations, Bernadette Leyva-Vorn, who recently joined the Metro team.
Bernadette, or Bernie, as she is known by her colleagues, sees a world of opportunity for the Metro business and its customers when it comes to technology.
“Since joining Metro my key focus has been to gain a deeper understanding of the operations of the business, with the purpose to drive, support and deliver initiatives that will optimise efficiency levels helping our people and ultimately providing an optimum experience for our customers,” Bernie says.
One area that Bernie and her team are focused on is utilising artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to streamline tasks and processes – ultimately leading to faster turnarounds for customer enquiries, and allowing the Metro team, and its network of brokers, to provide better service across the board.
It’s not just customers taking note, either: recently Metro was named ‘AI Rookie of the Year’ in the Talkdesk CX innovator of the Year Awards – an accolade that shines a light on the efforts of the Metro team, as it continues to integrate smart technologies to drive better customer outcomes.
Tiago Paiva, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Talkdesk, spoke recently on the Awards, and pointed towards Metro’s Rookie of the Year recognition as a sign of big things to come.
“The CX market has undergone tremendous transformation in the last year, driven by increasing consumer expectations and rapid pace of innovation. No one understands the impact of that change more than this year’s CX Innovators Award winners. The successes and outcomes of their CX journeys are inspirational; these companies are, in many ways, role models for their industry peers. It is an honour to recognise Metro Finance as AI Rookie of the Year, and a privilege to have Talkdesk be an integral part of its customer experience,” they commented.
From a Metro perspective, Bernie believes awards such as this provide a platform for the industry to celebrate its combined achievements, as well as learn from one another.
“It’s a fantastic recognition of efforts by the team, and means that we are on the pathway to become better equipped to optimise the customer experience,” Bernie says.
“Talkdesk features such as Copilot helps our people enhance the customer experience by providing assistance on calls and after-call work, by transcribing and summarising conversations. Over time, as the modelling builds out, the assistance will only get smarter around each customer journey which will in turn enhance the assistance for our people and our customers,” Bernie continues.
And as for AI in general? Bernie believes there is great potential for the technology, when used to support human interactions.
“AI is clearly a very advanced technology, and will get more sophisticated over time. It will expand opportunities for innovation that will transform the industry amplifying efficiency levels across the entire value chain.”
While the temptation for some businesses when using AI is to over-utilise: automating seemingly every process and removing human interaction from customer experiences; Metro is focused on retaining its personal touch, using AI instead to enhance person-to-person interactions, rather than reducing or removing them. Bernie believes that Metro’s customer-centric approach is the lender’s superpower, and one that she and her team strive to ensure it remains at the forefront of everything the Metro business does.
“AI provides a lot of opportunities to gain efficiencies, and at Metro it is a means to help and support our people, enabling them to spend more time with customers and providing a better experience.”
To experience the Metro difference for your yourself (and to have a conversation with a real person!), talk to your Metro broker about a financial solution that is right for you.
