The financial services industry has undergone many changes in recent years and costs have already been constrained throughout the industry. Downsizing in structure and staff, financial services companies have been pushing the envelope of cost reduction for years. Technological advances, industry consolidation and general earning pressure have all been contributing factors in reducing overall and per unit costs. Recent industry changes however is only part of an ongoing trend to find ways to produce more with less. This age-old trend will never reach an end as there are always ways to improve efficiency.

Cost reduction as an end, however, is not always a beneficial strategy. Striking a balance between costs, customer service, and growth requirements is most critical. In today’s business environment, where many costs have already been slashed at seemingly every turn, future cost cutting may be slashing into product benefits and/or customer service. The key to controlling costs is optimizing the balance between customer requirements and the resource required to deliver them.

THE LOBUE APPROACH

1. The first step to optimizing costs is to establish what is to be delivered, or the Customer Experience Definition. Once the products and services are defined by what is required from the customer, then the necessary steps can be taken to optimize the cost structure. This includes assigning products and services to customer segments.
2. Detail the process end-to-end: Every step of a process may provide an opportunity for cost optimization.
3. Establish the Unit Cost: The unit cost is an effective way to develop a baseline and on-going management measurement tool for understanding the costs of products and services combined. At LoBue, we work with our clients to establish and analyze unit cost as a way to uncover opportunities for reducing costs without sacrificing the product.
4. Optimize staffing: Staffing remains the highest cost in providing products and services. Utilizing staff productively and towards the company goals is critical. LoBue staffing tools determine the required staffing while balancing service and sales requirements.

While cost cutting alone can produce positive results, LoBue will help to guide clients to finding the right balance of costs and service. Throughout our history, LoBue has guaranteed the results we promise. Those results often are tied to efficiency and cost, thus showing a demonstrable return to our clients. Our cost optimization methodology shows that our guarantee is about satisfying customer services requirements as much as improving productivity.