Business process improvement of credit card department: case study of a multinational bank

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to study the shortcomings of the business process of credit card department of a multinational bank and to improve the existing business process efficiency and effectiveness through redesigning the process that eliminates bottlenecks and improves service quality.

Design/methodology/approach

The research investigates real‐life business process using case study methodology. It collects primary data through interviews of individuals, focus groups and secondary data from the investigation of company documents. It then uses SWOT analysis, Fishbone Diagram, Process Flow Diagram and a number of other tools to analyse and to redesign the existing process.

Findings

The research identifies that the business process of the credit card department of a multinational bank is unnecessarily lengthy and requires eight to nine days to complete from application processing to final account creation and to issue the card. It then designs a to‐be business process for the same business function. The proposed process reduces half of the time of the existing process.

Practical implications

The proposed business process reduces the cycle time effectively and uses the organisational resources efficiently to achieve better customer satisfaction. It also helps in growing card market share in this highly competitive and profitable segment of consumer products.

Originality/value

This paper illustrates a unique way of investigating an existing business process and designing a new business process that is very efficient and effective. The design process is quite generic which can be applied to other organisations, especially in the banking sector.

Citation

Islam, S. and Daud Ahmed, M. (2012), "Business process improvement of credit card department: case study of a multinational bank", Business Process Management Journal, Vol. 18 No. 2, pp. 284-303. https://doi.org/10.1108/14637151211225207