For Yasmine Din, Head of Client Services Luxembourg at BNP Paribas Securities Services Luxembourg, making the client the centre of attention should be taken as an unarguable starting point. Her objective is to anticipate what clients expect and then to deliver, and sometimes even to surprise them by exceeding expectations.

 

How does BNP Paribas Securities Services Luxembourg place the client at the centre of its activity?

 

We place the client at the centre of our attention rather than at the centre of our procedures. In the financial sector, technology, in-depth market expertise and regulatory intelligence are essential, but they are not the only criteria for choosing a securities services provider. We believe that customer experience is equally important. That's why at BNP Paribas Securities Services we are working to deliver the best possible customer experience. We have initiated a global service culture programme to help us better respond to customer needs and organise ourselves around these concerns. The results of this programme are a mix of process design and digital transformation, including the implementation of innovative solutions. This offers faster and better interactions with our customers while improving the quality of our existing services. One result is that our customers can now evaluate our services and request improvements at any time. This is done through our digital solution which is part of our regular customer committee process. And thanks to the streamlining of our systems and the intelligent organisation of our operations, our customers now enjoy faster access to local markets. This is just the tip of the iceberg. We work continually to improve our services in order to offer maximum efficiency; all part of our work to better support our customers and their development.

​

“Whatever the situation, employee expertise and trust are the basis of a fulfilling customer relationship.”

​

What Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) do you use to measure your performance?

 

Nothing is better than open dialogue. We talk with clients to assess their satisfaction, and similarly, we work with potential clients to understand their needs. We want good mutual understanding, with relationships based on trust at a human level. Of course, we also have indicators to measure each service provided, for example with certain administrative services - such as calculating net asset values - which became commoditised some time ago. Clients expect these to be accurate and timely, but the added value comes from the relationship with the client. This takes into account their future prospects, risk management, supporting geographical and product growth, and our ability to help our clients meet their clients’ needs. The technological evolution, which brings together digital tools with the data we have, is central to how we satisfy our customers and measure our performance. To be able to offer this practical support to their ambitions is an important asset. But we understand that different metrics have different relevance for each customer. It is our job to understand each client’s culture, priorities, sensitivities and their perception of how we work together. The relationship with the client therefore includes an important emotional dimension, even in the digital age. The most important performance indicators for me are those that measure the quality of our interactions with the client, the "depth" of our discussions and the number of solutions we are able to provide to support the client's current business and future development. When we have established a relationship based on trust and sharing, clients are all the more inclined to communicate their needs openly, which allows us to work in a collaborative and solution-oriented way.

​

What challenges and opportunities do you see for BNP Paribas Securities Services Luxembourg over the next five years?

 

Today, the challenge for everyone remains how to negotiate the pandemic and its aftermath. This highlights our crisis management capabilities and demonstrates the importance of working as a team and being close to our clients. In addition, we must meet requirements for cyber-security and effective environmental, social and governance (ESG) support. We help our customers with ESG by going beyond simply keeping lists of the ESG compatibility of funds. We want to be involved in these projects. Digitisation will continue. Investors of tomorrow are from a generation accustomed to one-click transactions. BNP Paribas will continue to commit and invest to keep pace with the evolution of its customer base.