CBA’s new weather data model supports customers impacted by natural disasters

Commonwealth Bank harnesses new technology to better anticipate and respond to customer needs.

CommBank customers impacted by natural disasters can now expect same-day tailored support solutions from their bank thanks to a new purpose-built data model solution.

The new technology solution uses custom-built algorithms to monitor, in real-time, a mix of data points from official emergency sources and weather alert systems to offer

same-day 1:1 support to those customers impacted by natural disasters. The new smart data model analyses and interprets a range of data sources to help the bank accurately contact affected customers the same day to offer assistance, wherever they are located.

Most recently, the bank was able to offer same-day personalised support to 80,000 customers who were impacted by the Perth bushfires.

CBA’s Chief Analytics Officer, Dr Andrew McMullan, said: “Natural disasters can come out of the blue, and whilst sadly we can’t prevent them, we can help notify customers so they can prepare, as well as offer affected customers immediate and personalised support. Using the power of our Customer Engagement Engine we can connect with customers who may be impacted and also offer support that aligns to their needs, such as deferring a loan or offering an emergency overdraft.”

Recently, CBA announced that it is accelerating its digital strategy with an ambition to provide customers with one of the best digital experiences of any company globally. It includes investing in technology including data, machine learning and artificial intelligence to give unique insights into each customer’s individual needs.

“When a natural disaster hits we know that time is a luxury, so our new automated monitoring system allows us to respond to customers with far better speed, accuracy and personalisation than manual reporting allows.”

The new solution enables the bank to check-in with customers as to whether they need help, while informing them about the individual support available.

“Being able to anticipate our customers’ needs and contact them on the same day that a postcode is identified as being at risk from a substantial weather event is a game-changer, and something customers in Perth told us they appreciated during the recent bushfires.”

Dr McMullan said his team of world-leading data scientists are building tomorrow’s bank today by reimagining CBA’s products and services.

“CBA’s Customer Engagement Engine runs around 400 machine learning models across 157 billion data points in real time so we can add value to our customers in terms of relevance and personal experience – whether that’s through messages and live in-app chats using the CommBank app, or having relevant conversations in-branch or over the phone.

“Offering customers timely, relevant and personalised experiences is something we’re continuing to put a lot of focus on across the bank.”