Empowering Clients to navigate pivotal moments and instil the highest standards in their journey with their business partners

New approach for making informed choices 

Pivotal moments represent major decisions, interactions, or changes that can significantly affect financial outcomes. Examples include selecting new products, investing in strategic partnerships, or resolving service incidents. These occurrences can shape trust and satisfaction and ultimately impact financial performance. In 2024, McKinsey & Company reported that improving the client journey can increase revenues by as much as 10 to 15 percent while also lowering the cost to serve by 15 to 20 percent, notably in the insurance, energy, telecoms and banking sectors¹.

As a service provider, identifying these moments improves decision-making, reduces risks, and enhances value. Moreover, recognising  and sharing them allows clients to maintain control over their ecosystem. Optimal performance arises when a common vision of these pivotal moments and assessment of related financial impacts is shared with their providers; it is a key factor for proactive engagement rather than reactivity to unforeseen events.

How to define pivotal moments in the client journey

SGSS employs a structured six-step approach to identify pivotal moments in the client journey:

1. Know your personas²: We begin by defining client personas, alongside their internal counterparts, known as employee personas, to capture diverse perspectives. What are their needs, consumption habits and characteristics?
2. In the client’s shoes: We systematically collect voice-of-client data through complementary channels such as interviews, surveys, request analyses, and internal reports to gain consistent insights. What emotions do they go through? What information will they be looking for? What messages are they receiving from us?
3. Mirrored vision: We map key client interactions, channels, and touchpoints against internal processes and voice-of-client feedback to understand the full journey. Are there many contact points? What are the opportunities for digitalisation? 
4. Volatility and sensitivity: We identify pivotal moments by focusing on journey stages exhibiting the greatest volatility in client satisfaction, documenting pain points and factors that differentiate our service. How do you recognise opportunities to transform client satisfaction from, for example, very negative to very positive? 
5. Client-centric opportunities: We prioritise opportunities that foster continuous improvement of the client experience. How to constructively rebound from negative feedback? What are the best solutions for our clients from a benefit/risk perspective?
6. Profitable, feasible, desirable: Finally, we develop prototypes with pilot clients, gathering feedback to refine and continuously improve the client journey. What services are our clients looking for? What do they say about our competitors? What do they prefer about us?

A well-established methodology supported by a sustainable engagement at all levels

Effective client experience management requires commitment at all organisational levels. It is essential that executive leadership clearly defines Client Experience as a core business priority, embedding it into the company’s culture and strategy. Equally important is to involve, from the outset, a community of influencers convinced by the approach. These key players — through design thinking workshops and implementation phases — will play a prescriptive role across all levels of the organisation, fostering ownership and accountability in the pursuit of excellence. Employing agile methodologies, we create mock-ups, solicit feedback, and conduct system demonstrations. Our approach also includes clear communication strategies with providers, timely follow-up, and well-defined prioritisation criteria to ensure responsiveness and alignment.

Deeper transformation opportunities

Unlocking the true power of client experience means reimagining your entire business ecosystem (your clients, your providers, your business partners) through the lens of what each member of the ecosystem actually sees, hears and feels—a bold shift that delivers real value and turns empathy into tangible impact for your efficiency and your brand.
Alexandra Chauvel, Marketing and Solutions, Societe Generale Securities Service

A shared and clear understanding of pivotal moments with clients enables new business models by enhancing key roles, providing premium support, and encouraging cross-functional collaboration. This approach ensures that strategic client relationships receive reinforced support, securing sponsorship from senior executives and allocating dedicated resources to anticipate specific needs. Moreover, the application of participatory methodologies like  design thinking facilitates the use of advanced technological solutions, such as a next-generation digital portal, API integration, and Artificial Intelligence-driven automation, optimises client interactions, enhances security, and increases transparency. This comprehensive strategy aims to break down organisational silos, amplify the client's voice, and simplify their journey, ensuring that clients receive the right answer at first request.

Lasting collective outcomes

For our clients, proactively recognising and anticipating pivotal moments provides greater control over their operational processes and secures innovation costs. Sharing these moments with providers or business partners fosters an ongoing understanding of key priorities.

On the Asset Servicer side, establishing and maintaining high service standards on recognised pivotal moments drives meaningful improvements in client satisfaction and fosters loyalty, materialised for SGSS by the doubling of both client recommendation rates as well as client participation in satisfaction surveys between 2021 and 2024³.

All-in, lasting confidence, built on a strong collaboration with providers, underpins long-term financial stability and enhances market reputation, ultimately attracting new business and top talent.

Alexandra Chauvel, Co-Head of Coverage, Marketing and Solutions, Societe Generale Securities Service

¹ Source: “Best of both worlds: customer experience for more revenues and lower costs” - McKinsey & Company, April 2024
² A persona is a detailed and fictional representation of a typical user or target client, created based on real data and market research.
³ Source: SGSS client satisfaction analysis – July 2025