Banorte, the banking subsidiary of Grupo Financiero Banorte (GFNorte), is currently the third largest bank in Mexico. It has more than 27,000 employees, 7,062 ATMs and 1,270 branches. Banorte serves more than 13 million clients and manages more than $138 billion in assets.

Banorte is in the process of leveraging technology to create a more client-centered business model. Banorte's Sumando program is the company's short- and long-range initiative to use the latest software and business best practices to gain a thorough knowledge of each client. By gaining insight into customer needs and preferences, Banorte plans to provide the appropriate services and user experiences.

As part of that initiative, the company wanted to transition to a new model and add persona segmentation to their products, services and customer communications. In order to do this, Banorte needed to unify its fragmented systems and train employees on technologies such as automated decision-making programs, application development, data management, IT best practices and project management. Banorte also had plans to launch a new intuitive Web-based platform to improve the user experience.

Global Knowledge worked with Banorte to determine needs and the job functions and departments that required training. Learning experts helped Banorte design and implement strategic capabilities to improve alignment within the business, improve the operating model, increase management capacity of technology and improve project implementation.

The objective was to improve technological risk management and technological architecture management, adhering to Banorte's six strategic principles for their new era of IT. Global Knowledge instructors delivered classes on delivery management and scheduling skills to 127 Banorte employees virtually and on-site in Mexico City, Mexico. The training curriculum included IBM, ITIL, Project Management Institute (PMI®), Oracle, and Microsoft software, programs and techniques.

A total of 16 IBM courses were part of the training program to teach skills like collaboration, modeling, task automation and messaging architecture. They included:

• Managing Decisions in IBM Operational Decision Maker V8.5
• Process Discovery and Modeling in IBM Blueworks Live
• Developing Software with IBM Rational Team Concert V4
• Technical Introduction to WebSphere MQ
• Technical Introduction to IBM WebSphere DataPower Gateway Appliances V7

Professional development is ongoing with more training planned within the next year.

Banorte has since launched their new customer-centric Web platform. The training enabled Banorte to convert to a new customer-focused model.

"We will be able to achieve [success] by combining technology, training, platforms and talent with the commitment of generating a real change in interacting with our customers," said Javier Tomás Ramírez Zarco, assistant director, Management, Talent and Communication for Banorte. "We will have metrics that will enable us to make the right decisions and significantly improve customer relations, encouraging their loyalty and profitability and giving way to what we call the new IT.

"With a single database, we can segment our broad client base in accordance to the level of their relationship with the bank and meet their needs. It also allows us to define the best actions and offers to implement campaigns that are more focused on each segment."