OneMain Financial (OneMain) is the leader in offering non-prime customers responsible access to safe and affordable credit options, including personal and auto loans. OneMain has followed a highly personalized ‘face-to-face’ approach to serving its customers for more than 100 years. In-person meetings have allowed the lending institution to work closely with borrowers to explore eligibility, assess product options, and take customers through the process step-by-step to successfully close on a loan. Over the years, OneMain has built out its network of branches to provide the direct, hands-on service that has fueled its growth. Currently, nearly 90% of the US population lives within 25 miles of an OneMain branch.
Seeing a growing preference for digital-first services among some customers, especially those from a younger demographic, OneMain began exploring options in 2019 to enable video support as a means to personalize customer support digitally. The pandemic greatly accelerated the shift to digital service, while also expanding OneMain’s scope beyond account support to facilitate remote loan closings that were previously completed almost entirely in-branch.
When the pandemic started, OneMain closed all branches to the public to keep its communities safe. As a result, phone call volumes increased dramatically, causing long wait times. Because the loan closing process is very detailed and quite lengthy, phone support proved challenging. The customer service management team was already working with Glia and quickly began exploring remote loan closing options.
With Glia, OneMain developed a loan closing process that was fully remote through an online system that replaced in-person branch service. The company deployed the Glia Interaction Platform in April 2020, initially to alleviate long wait times for callers with an online option and also to shift customers to a digital format that could deliver the hands-on approach that OneMain is known for.
With more than 1,400 branches, OneMain rolled out the digital-first remote solution in phases with training on how to use Glia’s Digital Customer Service (DCS) system, starting with the central support team. Helping the staff utilize the DCS tools to build relationships within OneMain’s digital environment was the priority, as a means to maintain the organization’s high-touch service. Customers have digital options to interact through chat, OnScreen voice and video, with the ability to transition between channels. Allowing customers to simply speak rather than type, for example, or enable video for a true face-to-face interaction.
Glia’s online collaboration tools were crucial to enabling remote loan closings, allowing OneMain staff to quickly assist and guide customers in a similar way to providing in-person service. Live Observation, for example, allows OneMain loan specialists to view what a customer is seeing online within the OneMain web or mobile domain. The ability to see that a customer is looking at a particular loan application, for example, provides rich context that allows a OneMain representative to jump right in and provide immediate guidance without a series of upfront questions. The visual element overcomes the guesswork that is typical of traditional phone support, helping to build confidence with customers and streamline service.
Dual-cursor CoBrowsing goes a step further, allowing reps to actively point and guide with their cursor and even open digital resources for a customer, such as launching the appropriate loan application. During a period where OneMain was unable to safely provide face-to-face meetings, LiveObservation and CoBrowsing enabled a virtual alternative that brought the personalized, human touch to OneMain’s digital, remote service. It literally brought OneMain and customers together on the same screen.
OneMain’s remote service mirrors its in-person experience by enabling a strong customer connection with collaboration to effectively navigate complex loan closing and support processes. Interactions can be lengthy and the Glia platform allows the service team to be thorough to ensure a higher number of completed applications as well as full compliance.
As the pandemic subsided and customers returned to branch offices, OneMain’s remote closing options have remained popular. In fact, they represent more than half of all loan closings today. This is a convenience for customers with busy schedules or those who are unable to make it to a branch during business hours. OneMain staff have noticed a preference for digital options, especially among younger customers and increasingly with older demographics too. Customers who start the process online typically stay online through closing and support beyond.
“It has been amazing to see how we’ve been able to build strong customer connections through the Glia platform. It’s not 100% the same as a face-to-face interaction where you can shake a customer’s hand, but it’s a very close second. And now we are seeing a growing number of customers who prefer remote service,” Oslakovic added.
The OneMain team continues to evaluate ways to optimize its digital service and maintain that critical ‘face-to-face’ experience that has made the lending institution the leader in its market. With a high 91% customer satisfaction rate for OneMain loans and more than half of its customers returning for future borrowing needs, personalized customer connections are clearly working. In today’s digital-first world, that increasingly means meeting customers on screen and delivering services that meet their expectations. OneMain has set itself up for future success.
