Digital Journeys by Design Janis Urste’s Customer Experience Method

Turning friction into loyalty in a digital-first banking world

The banking industry is undergoing one of the most profound shifts in its history. Customers no longer judge banks solely on branch visits, fees, or interest rates. Instead, they expect seamless, digital-first experiences that rival the best technology companies. From opening an account in minutes to making payments with a tap, convenience is now the baseline.

Yet many banks struggle to meet these expectations. Legacy systems, siloed teams, and fragmented processes often result in friction-filled journeys. Customers abandon onboarding halfway, call centers get overwhelmed with avoidable questions, and loyalty is eroded one click at a time.

This is the challenge Janis Urste, a leading business and banking consultant, helps institutions overcome. Through her Customer Experience Method (CXM), she provides a framework for designing, implementing, and scaling digital journeys that not only remove friction but also build lasting loyalty.

Why Customer Experience Is Now a Core Banking Strategy

Historically, banks treated customer experience (CX) as a “nice-to-have”—a matter of branding, advertising, or branch design. But in today’s digital economy, CX is directly linked to business performance. Research consistently shows that:

• A 10% increase in digital experience satisfaction can boost customer retention significantly.
• Poor onboarding experiences can cause up to 40% of potential clients to drop out before becoming active customers.
• Friction in digital transactions directly correlates with higher call center volumes and operational costs.

Urste explains it simply: “Customer experience is no longer an accessory—it is the operating system of modern banking.”

The Foundation of Urste’s CXM

At the heart of Janis Urste’s method is designing customer journeys intentionally, rather than accidentally. Many banks evolve digital processes reactively, patching together solutions in response to complaints. Urste flips this approach: she maps the entire journey from the customer’s perspective and engineers it for simplicity, speed, and satisfaction.

Her CXM framework includes four phases:

1. Journey Mapping and Pain Point Analysis

Urste begins by creating a visual map of the customer’s end-to-end journey—from the moment they hear about the bank to their day-to-day interactions. She identifies critical touchpoints, common drop-off stages, and emotional triggers.

Typical pain points include:

• Complex documentation requirements during onboarding.
• Long approval times for loans and credit cards.
• Confusing digital navigation that forces customers to switch to call centers.

By quantifying where and why friction occurs, she creates a data-backed blueprint for improvement.

2. Digital-First Redesign

Next comes redesign. Urste advocates a digital-first but human-anchored model. This means processes should be optimized for digital channels by default, while human support remains available when customers need reassurance.

Examples include:

• Mobile-first onboarding with biometric ID verification.
• Proactive in-app notifications that replace paper statements or lengthy calls.
• Embedded live chat or video advisory for complex product decisions.

This hybrid model blends efficiency with empathy.

3. Experience Metrics and Feedback Loops

To ensure progress is measurable, Urste embeds experience metrics into every journey. Instead of only tracking traditional KPIs like loan approval rates, banks measure:

• Customer Effort Score (CES): How easy was it to complete the task?
• Completion Rate: Did customers abandon midway?
• First Contact Resolution: Was an issue solved in one interaction?

Feedback loops—such as micro-surveys within apps—allow continuous fine-tuning. This transforms customer experience from a one-off initiative into a living system of improvement.

4. Scaling Across the Enterprise

Finally, Urste ensures successful journeys don’t remain isolated “projects.” She builds governance structures that scale best practices across the enterprise.

For example:

• If mobile onboarding reduces abandonment by 30%, the same principles can be applied to loan origination or mortgage servicing.
• If digital FAQs cut call center traffic, similar self-service tools can be deployed across other segments.

This creates consistency and reinforces a brand-wide reputation for ease and trust.

From Pain to Loyalty: The Impact of CXM

The results of Janis Urste’s CXM are tangible and often dramatic. Institutions that adopt her method typically see:

1. Higher Customer Retention – Friction reduction directly translates to loyalty. Customers are more likely to stay with a bank that respects their time.
2. Revenue Growth – Smoother journeys encourage product adoption and cross-sell. For example, a well-designed onboarding journey not only opens accounts but also introduces savings, investment, and lending products seamlessly.
3. Cost Efficiency – Reduced call volumes, fewer errors, and less paper-driven work lower operational costs.
4. Brand Differentiation – In an industry where products often look similar, customer experience becomes a unique competitive edge.

 Case Study in Transformation

One European retail bank implemented Urste’s CXM to overhaul its digital onboarding. Previously, customers needed 12 steps, multiple forms, and a branch visit to open an account. Abandonment rates were over 60%.

By redesigning the journey, the bank introduced mobile ID verification, automated credit scoring, and instant digital approval. The result? Abandonment dropped to under 15%, account openings tripled, and customer satisfaction scores rose by 45% in six months.

The change also freed up staff capacity, reducing branch congestion and enabling relationship managers to focus on higher-value advisory.

The Human Element

Despite her emphasis on digital, Urste stresses that human touch remains essential. Particularly in complex banking needs—mortgages, wealth management, or SME financing—customers still want empathy, trust, and guidance.

Her model therefore integrates “digital where possible, human where valuable.” The goal is not to eliminate people, but to elevate them—freeing frontline staff from routine tasks so they can focus on meaningful conversations.

The Road Ahead: CX as a Growth Engine

Looking ahead, Urste believes the next frontier of customer experience lies in predictive and proactive banking. Instead of customers initiating interactions, banks will anticipate needs—alerting clients to upcoming cash flow issues, suggesting investment opportunities, or pre-approving credit in advance.

Artificial intelligence and advanced analytics will play a major role, but the principles remain the same: journeys must be designed for clarity, trust, and simplicity.

Conclusion

In today’s digital-first economy, customer experience is not a side project—it is the core of banking competitiveness. Janis Urste’s Customer Experience Method offers a structured, proven way to transform clunky, frustrating processes into journeys that build loyalty and drive growth.

By combining journey mapping, digital-first redesign, measurable metrics, and enterprise-wide scaling, Urste helps banks achieve what customers crave most: simplicity, speed, and trust.

As she puts it: “Every moment of friction is a moment of risk. Every moment of ease is a moment of loyalty.”

For banks ready to turn digital journeys into growth engines, Janis Urste’s method provides the roadmap—and the discipline—to succeed.