Last February in this very blog, Josemari published an article entitled ‘Operations and Production = + x –’ in which in addition to outlining the four main functions of the unit he manages, he published an explanatory video of our ‘three layer operating model’.

In this article, I am going to talk to you about a specific example of this model that we have implemented in Technology and Operations (T&O) to provide operational support to the whole BBVA office network, with maximum efficiency and the highest quality possible at all times.

Firstly I should point out that (in global terms) the entire support operations for BBVA’s business areas are undergoing an ambitious transformation process, towards a model that will allow them to combine effectiveness with efficiency, which will force all of us to change the way we do things.

One example of this (a ‘local’ example of the application of our ‘global’ model) is the plan to improve the quality of the service that the Operations Support and Service Centre (internally known as ‘CAS’) used to provide to our network of offices in Spain and Portugal, which was launched at the end of 2009.

This plan, in its day, represented the first step in the consolidation of this ‘three layer operating model’ that I mentioned at the beginning; while also serving as a ‘reference for success’ to the rest of the Group’s operations services.

The basis of the plan was to identify all those known areas for improvement and to incorporate solutions that could be applied on both sides of the organisational structure (technology and the office network). Today we can say that it has had a very satisfactory outcome, although we are not resting on our laurels and we continue to work to provide flexible and speedy responses to our internal clients: the office network.

The operations support services are not only a help desk for the three thousand daily enquiries that are logged by our offices in the sales network, on average. They are also the driving force for resolving design problems in applications that, because of the addition of new functionality or due to improvements/changes in existing functions, need to be analysed by experts (these may be ‘business partners’ or technical design and development specialists), or that need better communication and training when looking for the solution.

The quality and efficiency that our internal client perceives about the service we provide, extends to each and every person in the Technology and Operations area. It is therefore important to all of us.

However, in BBVA we understand that the best telephone help desk is the one that’s not needed and for this reason (although what we have provided is hugely significant and very positive) we will continue working towards providing our teams around the world with the best service models available.

We are looking ahead and we plan to significantly improve several aspects. For example, providing the office network with advanced technological solutions to allow them to resolve a large number of their doubts through more flexible and economical means, with the objective of minimising errors and in all cases correcting them as quickly as possible.

In short, we will carry on working towards continuous improvement, because all of us at BBVA have the clients’ interests at the heart of our work and we therefore have only one mission: “To make people’s lives easier”; in this case, the men and women in BBVA’s office network in Spain and Portugal, so that they in turn may help and support the bank’s clients with their financial requirements.

Best wishes, Miguel Ángel