How Business Intelligence benefits the finance industry

Technological advancements have empowered the financial industry with online and telephone services, cellphone apps and enhanced connectivity. It has also seen the development of useful business intelligence (BI) tools that have allowed institutions to use customer data as a basis for improved business practices and policy making. Here is a look at some of the ways that BI has benefited the finance industry.

6 BI benefits for the finance industry

1. Increased marketing opportunities

A major asset of BI is the collection of usable customer relationship management data. This can be fully analysed to identify criteria related to a profitable customer profile. Once these profiles have been created, financial institutions are able to discover further opportunities for dedicated cross- and up-selling to existing customers.

2. Increased risk management

The financial industry is not without risk. Fortunately, BI allows banks and other fiscal operations to uncover factual data that can identify risks. With this information, risk management and reduction strategies are much more effective. Some of the elements of risk that can be mitigated by BI will include:

• Cyber threats: As technology advances in the financial sector, the risk of cyberattacks increases. Using BI, financial institutions are able to create a much securer intelligence platform.
• User data: This sector collects and monitors critical user information such as banking details. BI is able to highlight risk in this area and reduce incidents of fraud.
• Customer risk: BI is able to offer accurate insights into how much of a risk a customer would be in terms of loan defaults and cost recovery.

View Financial Reports with the help of Business Intelligence

3. Boost the bottom line

Another inherent value-add of BI in the financial sector is the insight provided into operational costs. This allows banks and other financial institutions to fully understand growth patterns, maximise on existing resources, reduce day-to-day costs, and enhance internal efficiencies. The implementation of BI will give insight into the profitable and non-profitable products and services, thereby eliminating the unnecessary while focusing on what works. This significantly increases overall profits.

4. Strategy development

Using the data accumulated by BI, investment strategies can be developed as there is usable insight gained into trading. On an even bigger scale, research analysts are looking at the global commodity supplies to discover consumer spend on fuel relative to car use and numbers worldwide.

5. Up-to-date data

Data related to finance is constantly changing, from one moment to the next, bringing with it up-to-date insight that can make institutions a lot of money. Whether it’s tracking stock or revenue, the more current the data, the better the decision making. Real-time data can make all the difference in the financial sector.

6. A more informed staff

BI data within the financial industry can be accessed by everyone on staff, allowing for customised interpretation and improved operational efficiency. Financial data is able to be interpreted differently using various methods. The more information the staff has, the better the decisions made.

7. Better customer relations

Rather than simply using customer data to improve the institution’s financial situation, BI can also assist in improving customer relations and cementing brand loyalty. Through business analytics, it becomes more evident what motivates customers to switch to another organisation, as well as tracking customer habits and preferences. This way, institutions can work to rectify elements that are displeasing to customers, while personalising customer care to increase the chance of retention.

The far-reaching benefits of BI in the finance industry continue to be discovered worldwide, but it’s important that organisations are implementing the correct BI tools specific to the industry needs. This means partnering with BI solutions’ experts rather than a one-size-fits all approach.