May 15

Coffee, banking and the community

posted 9:00 AM May 15 by SuperStarSaver under Savings


There’s a whole romance to the café experience, isn’t there? I don’t claim to be a coffee expert, but there’s no denying that the feeling of sitting in a café, enjoying a good cup of coffee, reading, or connecting with someone, is a great one. Coffee shops date back to the 1400s and some people claim they originated in Turkey while others say Italy. But that’s not the point.

From a cultural perspective, we can all agree that cafés act as anchors in our communities. We all know where the nearest Tim Hortons or Starbucks or other specialty cafés are. They serve as places for social interaction; to talk, write, read, connect, or pass the time.

And cafés have evolved. The way Starbucks sees it, cafés are the third place between work and home. I would imagine that with the rise of the entrepreneurial culture, that cafés are actually where people are spending time conducting their work. We certainly see that in our own cafés.

So what does coffee have to do with banking?

When ING DIRECT was first launched in 1997, we set out to create a true mainstream alternative for banking. We built a model where Canadians’ savings can grow without being eroded by fees and we proved that our model works. We thrive on being the underdog and challenging the Financial Services industry. We don’t believe in selling and we don’t believe in branches. We believe that conversations about money shouldn’t be complicated; they should be as easy as enjoying a cup of coffee with friends.

We asked ourselves, what could we do to change things?

We decided to give Savers a place to go where they can be heard and understood. Cafés are places that break down the barriers between people and their money, helping Canadians make their own financial decisions, without lineups, tellers or pens or ropes. They are not typical brick-and-mortar bank branches. Selling is not on the menu, but financial nourishment and being a good neighbour is.

Our first ING DIRECT Café opened its doors to the public in the summer of 1997 in Toronto. Although Clients could reach us 24/7 online and on the phone, they visited our Toronto Café because they wanted to see what we were all about. The second Café opened in Vancouver in October of 1998, followed by Montréal in November 2002, and Calgary in May of 2006.

And in 2011, we decided to open our 5th Café in downtown Toronto, located in a fully restored and renovated three floor heritage building. It’s a unique, community-oriented space in the heart of downtown Toronto, where we have explored new ways to challenge the conventions of banking and have stayed close to the pulse of the city. The three-floor, open-concept space supports our forward banking vision by providing an innovative approach to banking. It features free WiFi; a high tech co-working space that provides access to videoconferencing and webinar systems for small business owners to conduct their day-to-day work; a free meeting space for community groups and use of iPads to conduct banking transactions online.

The downtown Toronto Café has truly become an integral part of the Toronto community. We have always believed that everything we do must fit with our purpose, which is to help Canadians live better lives. I am tremendously proud of what we have been able to accomplish in the space. Over 161,000 people have visited the Café since its opening in April 2011. It didn’t stop there, though. Café staff also got out and got involved in the community, giving back and making a difference through volunteering. We have also hosted numerous community events dedicated to enriching our city in our free community meeting space and we are thrilled when we can showcase local retailers who live the same values we do – a program we call the Café’s Friends of Savers.

I try to spend as much time as possible at the Cafés; because the energy of customers conducting their everyday banking and entrepreneurs working away at their start-up ideas is truly inspiring. Not to mention the excellent coffee, which we’ve named ‘Savers Blend’! The simplicity of walking in, buying a cup of coffee and talking about money or anything else going on that day, is what banking should be about. It’s that trace of magic that cafés create in building snippets of community.

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Apr 25

Moving Forward

posted 9:53 AM Apr 25 by Peter Aceto under Culture


Brands take time to grow. So when your business is successful, why make changes? It’s simple – you can’t manage your business the same way forever. Change is very important. Consumers are changing, their preferences evolve and often quickly. If you’re not adapting, you will become irrelevant to consumers and your existing customers.

Today’s consumers want to deal with companies that are evolving and innovative. That’s because their behaviour has fundamentally changed. They don’t go to record stores anymore, they’re shopping online and buying books in the cloud. And as Don Tapscott puts it, consumers are becoming prosumers, engaging and expecting more from businesses.

Modifying your brand is not about revamping a logo. It’s about evolving your relationship with your customers. To have them think of you in a different way, you need to act differently. Consumers form a perception of you based on their interactions with you. Good, bad or great. It could be their best or worst experience or the sum of all of their experiences with your business. So, changing how people think of your business is no easy task. It means you have to change for the better. And if you don’t walk your talk you are in very big trouble!

It’s been 15 years since ING DIRECT entered the banking industry in Canada. When we started in 1997, our vision was to help Canadians save more of their money and get control of their financial lives. Frederik de Groot, the Dutch actor who became our spokesperson, built a strong emotional connection with Canadians when in a series of television ads he told us to “Save your money”. He essentially told Canadians that they have a real choice.

We started with just a simple savings account that paid a higher interest rate and charged no fees. But we’ve grown – a lot. 15 years ago, I was the 8th employee to join the company, which by the way no one had ever heard of, including my mother. Now, ING DIRECT is the country’s largest direct bank and Canada’s 7th largest bank by individual deposits with nearly two million customers and more of what Canadians need to do their everyday banking.

But many people still think of us as a “savings” bank. That’s not a bad thing. But our business has evolved. When people think of ING DIRECT now, we want them to think of us as a place to do their banking, not just a place to save their money.

15 years ago, we also set out to challenge the banking industry. And we see that despite all of the progress in consumer behaviour, the banking industry has not moved as quickly. Most banks conduct much of their business in branches and charge fees wherever possible. There is a better way to bank in this country, and we want Canadians to know it.

So, we’ve changed some of our communications and marketing to help Canadians understand what we’re really all about today, and where we think consumers want the banking industry to be. We call it “forward banking”. You’ll see it in all of our advertising, but most importantly you will experience it during your interactions with us.

Leaders need to be willing to be brave, bold and challenge the status quo. Your brand can do the same. The magic however remains in maintaining the emotional connection you build with your customers by relentlessly delivering on your promise to them. In our case this means award winning service, simple and transparent products and all around great value for our customers’ hard earned money. This is our promise to Canadians and this will never change.

Today is a very exciting day for us at ING DIRECT and for Canadians. I am very proud of the achievements of our team at ING DIRECT in Canada – innovation, advocating for Canadians, and being a wonderful member of the community. Although we are embarking on great change today, what remains the same as it has always been over the past 15 years is our belief that – we are just getting started!

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Apr 16

There’s an app for everything

posted 9:00 AM Apr 16 by Peter Aceto under Culture



Do you think about the time before Google, before Twitter or Angry Birds? I think about it when I try to reason with my kids about the amount of apps they love to download on my devices.

It is fascinating how technology has changed how we live, and equally fascinating to witness the changes in behaviour in our children. ‘Are we there yet?’ is now replaced by ‘12 more miles, 5 more miles.’ Technology has given us the world at our fingers tips.

None of us can imagine living without the Internet or our mobile devices and tablets. And if you can think of an idea, there’s no question you can find an app for it. One could argue that there simply are too many options, too much information. But as per my previous post, the solution lies within each of us to manage our time and find ways to disconnect. There is no point in arguing that certain technological advancements do in fact make our lives much more comfortable.

I see that in my everyday life. I have a natural interest in technology and have greatly benefited from a select few apps. Great apps, as with anything, always come recommended, or at times, by stumbling upon some my children download – one in particular ‘Hit the Apple’ has been quite useful and fun!

ProPrompter is one of my favourites. I use this app on my iPad as a smooth scrolling professional teleprompter, which is wonderful considering I’m not a fan of paper. It is also simple, and very easy to use and makes speech deliveries much more efficient.

Starbucks has a very interesting app. Not only does it have a beautiful interface, but also the richness of the experience has changed my behaviour towards coffee. The menus, rewards and store locations keep me engaged and the ability to use my phone to pay for coffee – without a fee – is brilliant.

TeamSnap gives my wife and I on-the-go access to team calendars, coaches’ numbers, team scores and pictures as we plan our kids’ sports events. This app has kept us sane.

I am particularly fond of the ING DIRECT app. It has come in handy on numerous occasions – most recently when I forgot my wallet while out for dinner with friends, the app allowed me to instantly send an email money transfer from my iPhone to cover my portion of the bill. With a great interface and simple user experience, there’s no doubt I am exceptionally proud of the nearly 3000 downloads we experience per week.

Twitter and Hootsuite are my go-to social media apps. They are a great source of information and connection that I experience daily. Hootsuite is very useful for scheduling my tweets when I travel and Twitter’s simple interface gives me quick access to a select list of topics I am interested in.

Our habits and expectations have changed dramatically and the boundaries between online and offline are disappearing. We depend on a range of devices to keep ourselves connected to friends, colleagues and information in different ways. The reality is that we are experiencing a technology revolution. It’s really exciting to be part of this change, and certainly for us at ING DIRECT, as our culture allows us to experiment, learn and adapt rapidly.

Using technology to help Canadians live better lives is a key driver for our business. If we can inspire them to spend less, save more time and show them there is a different way to do banking, then our team would have accomplished a lot. Our challenge sometimes is that we have more ideas than we can implement. And our CIO will tell you that our focus is not so much on specific technologies. Instead, we often ask ourselves how do we provide value for consumers? How do we meet their needs? How do we keep things simple? We focus on two areas relentlessly – context and simplicity. Because it’s not about a transaction, it’s about the experience. Whether you’re using an app, the website or visiting an ING DIRECT café.

It’s fascinating to witness this rapid change to our way of life. Technology will be a key driver as businesses prepare for the future. This change can have a very positive impact on the corporate world if businesses act quickly and appropriately – keeping in mind that consumers’ mindsets have changed and their voice is stronger than it’s ever been.

 

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Apr 2

The benefits of disconnecting

posted 9:00 AM Apr 2 by Peter Aceto under Leadership


We live in a world of relentless demand. We go from one small thing to another trying to meet daily obligations. Information comes at us at unprecedented speed, and we find ourselves juggling multiple activities trying to keep up. We are fully engaged some of the time and partially engaged most of the time. Sound familiar?

So what happened to downtime?

I recently met a CEO who runs 3-4 hours at a time at least once a week. No iPod – no music – just running. As an occasional runner, I shared his outlook on the immense benefits of disconnecting and taking time away from the gravitational pull. Is this possible? Where can we find the time?

At ING DIRECT, our business is always evolving. We live in an exciting time of change and our culture is designed to meet the growing needs of our customers. To succeed we have to be nimble, innovative and maintain our inherent entrepreneurial spirit. As the CEO of ING DIRECT, my responsibility is to keep the business moving and ensure we are making a difference in the lives of our employees and the financial wellbeing of Canadians.

I enjoy being connected with people, at work, at home and particularly through social media. I am fascinated by technology and the ability to exchange information in a matter of minutes. I also manage a growing business with over 1000 employees, nearly 2 million customers, governance, compliance, a shareholder’s structure, email, and tactical day-to-day requirements. But when I find the time to disconnect, go for a long run or sit and think, I am reminded of how vastly liberating and mind expanding it is to think clearly and deeply. These are the moments when my thoughts are heard, complex problems are magically solved, priorities are clarified, and I have renewed energy and inspiration to get things done.

As human beings, we have an innate instinct to push that much harder when the pressure soars. We are compelled to do more, know more, experience more, and while that is admirable, without pause, without setting priorities, we very quickly experience burnout. At ING DIRECT, we always encourage our leaders to be accountable for their health, to be aware of the physical and mental manifestations of pushing too hard.

Downtime, in today’s world of ‘growing up digital’ seems unattainable. But it’s not. It is in fact critical for leaders to find it. A big mistake we make is letting email drive our day. We are constantly reacting to tasks set by others. We are splitting our attention and gravitating towards tactical and self-imposed urgencies. And with the surge of multiple mobile devices, it becomes that much more difficult to maintain priorities. But it’s not impossible.

The fact of the matter is some of us are better at it than others. Many of us manage important tasks and prioritize personal needs without fear of interruption. I often ask people how they find the time. What works for you? How do you pause?

I audit my calendar regularly which has always worked for me.  Am I spending my time on the right priorities? Am I spending enough time with the team? Am I present in the interactions I am having? Am I allocating time for personal reflection, family, personal health? If I’m not careful, months would pass and I can look back and be disappointed with what has been accomplished. I’m not suggesting it’s easy and I’m not always successful, but I certainly recognize the significance of personal reflection in attaining balance.

Technology is evolving, and ways of staying connected are increasing at incredible speed. Creating opportunities for disconnection is crucial and could quite possibly be the next trend to be explored. Personal reflection time is an individual responsibility, and it must be protected. While corporations have a role in identifying and supporting its importance, the answer lies in self-awareness, which has always been the first step in solving any problem.

Perhaps this quote by Picasso is excessive, but it is noteworthy: Without solitude no serious work is possible.

 

 

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Mar 15

Is it really a literacy issue? My take on Financial Wellbeing.

posted 9:00 AM Mar 15 by Peter Aceto under Financial Literacy


The term ‘Financial Literacy’ doesn’t sit well with me, largely because we are implying Canadians are less than smart. I’d like to believe that we all care about what happens to our money, but perhaps Canadians are simply led to confusion.

Let me be clear – I fully support the Government’s commitment to Financial Literacy. Strong financial management is important for our Government, and just as vital for each of us as individuals. ING DIRECT has long held concerns regarding the level of consumer debt as compared to savings. It is important that Canadians understand the implications when personal debt is growing faster than income, and how this impacts everyday financial decisions as well as long-term financial wellbeing.

But consider the banking industry as a whole. Banks have benefited by having Canadians be unclear about their finances, through lack of transparency and the use of unnecessary financial jargon. Comparing mortgages or investing in RSPs for the first time can be a daunting task when met with complicated applications and big financial terms and statements. Canadians start with the best intentions, but with exposure to unnecessary ambiguity, they are led to believe that managing money is an enormous task. It’s simply not. The basic financial needs for the typical Canadian household are not difficult to manage at all.

Historically, Canada has been a nation of Savers, but we can’t ignore the fact that we have lost our way in recent years. Our use of credit has increased and so has our spending. I am encouraged that a recent ING International survey found that Canadians are more willing to use savings to pay down debt than other parts of the world. This is good news. It’s the first step toward reducing debt, which is an important aspect of experiencing financial wellbeing, and securing the future of our children and the country. But the responsibility is not entirely on the individual Canadian.

Following a meeting with the Minister of Finance, the Honourable Jim Flaherty, for a pre-budget roundtable discussion in PEI in December, I thought of the magnitude of the commitment the Government has made to balance the budget by 2014/2015. I applaud the Minister for his efforts and for consulting and listening to business, academic and sector leaders from across the country on advancing Canada’s economy. It was an honour to be asked to participate, and offer the views of ING DIRECT on how to achieve a sustained economic recovery for Canada.

At ING DIRECT, we advocate the importance of saving. We believe in telling Canadians the truth and providing information to help them make smart decisions on their own. We encourage them to know how much to save for the road ahead and we want to get young Canadians on the right track by starting to save now for their retirement. Simplicity and clarity matter in the financial tools we provide Canadians. Complexity will drive them to feel less adequate about their own ability to take care of their money.

I have always believed that financial wellbeing is attainable once we understand the importance of being informed. That, accompanied with making basic finances clearer and simpler for all Canadians to comprehend is an important shift in the right direction: helping the Canadian economy and promoting personal financial wellbeing. This is a very serious matter for us at ING DIRECT, which is why we created the Canadian Charter of Financial Independence – a road map to help encourage Canadians to commit to a healthier financial future and show them the basic steps to getting there.

Financial Literacy will continue to generate much debate in our industry, with similar discussions as the most recent article on ‘Who Should Teach Us To Be Fiscally Responsible?’ by Jonathan Chevreau and Garry Marr of the National Post. Both bring up interesting points on the topic. What I have come to realize is that our business at ING DIRECT is less about banking and more about motivation and education.

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