In Computerworld Philippines' annual CIO Roundtable, four chief information officers and IT heads from top local companies shared with CWP editors and reporters how they were able to innovate in their respective markets. Our roundtable guests this year include: Abet Dela Cruz, chief technology office of gaming firm Level-Up; Amiel Diaz, vice president for development (New Ventures) at Dole Asia; Alexander Escucha, first vice president and corporate planning head of China Banking Corp.; and John Tubongbanua, chief information officer and head of academic services of STI Headquarters.
Internet banking, cross-border business-to-business payment applications, security, online gaming and educational services were just some of the areas discussed in this year's rountable.
CWP: What IT projects or IT programs did your company implement in 2005?
ESCUCHA: We launched our Internet banking. The launch of our Chinabank Online Internet banking is actually a major paradigm shift because the change from brick and mortar to the use of technology has transformed the way customers deal with us, which is a major move for us. The Chinabank online is a major step and I would describe that as the fulcrum of our multi-channel strategy. Five or seven years ago, consultants used to say, 'They're substituting the branch with the electronic channel, such as the ATM (automated teller machine) telephone and the Internet.' But in the various forums I've attended in Asia, Asian banks are reporting that people do not change channels. They just use all of the channels -- they don't necessarily give up the branch, they don't give up the ATM -- they just have more choices on what channel to use at what particular time of day and for what particular transaction. The driving consideration always is 'What's convenient for them?' That's the strategic framework on which we are proceeding and although we do not have the first mover advantage, we believe we have the advantage of having the latest, and the most-robust technology, and the most cost-efficient one, too.
Three software generations ago, you will just get a simple browser and then everything else is an add-on (to the online banking), such as your customer relationship management (CRM). Mobile banking was an additional feature that you had to pay for and it was more expensive then. Today all of these things are in a single engine, including mobile banking. We were the first to showcase our Chinabank online center in a Starbucks branch where people can browse and really look at the features. Hopefully we can duplicate that soon in other locations.