Dominik Weber – Lead CLM & Self-Services | Pragmatica AG

Digital Onboarding in Banking

Dominik Weber — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 14:38:39 +0000

Digital Onboarding in Banking

Mystery Shopping: What Swiss Retail Banks Reveal

Set up quickly, never used: Why digital onboarding in banking doesn't begin until after the deal is closed

Pragmatica analyzed leading Swiss retail banks as part of a mystery shopping study:

The analysis covered cantonal banks, major retail banks, as well as challenger and neobanks. The analysis is not a scientific study, but rather a practical assessment from the perspective of customer expectations and the customer experience.

Digital onboarding at many banks is significantly better today than it was just a few years ago. Opening an account, receiving an IBAN, activating online or mobile banking, and using a card: What used to take days or weeks can now be done almost instantly with several providers.

But this is precisely where the real challenge lies.

Just because a customer relationship has been established doesn’t mean it’s an active one. The crucial moment comes after the deal is closed:

Is the bank’s clientele provided with clear guidance?

Do customers know what to do next?

Do they experience initial, tangible added value, and is that momentum leveraged to highlight relevant service offerings?

What the Market Analysis Shows

The good news: 14 out of 15 digital onboarding processes deliver a successful customer experience.

Many banks today guide customers smoothly through the account-opening process, adopt a “mobile-first” approach, and provide key services such as IBAN, banking apps, or cards relatively ready in no time.

The figures clearly show the progress that has been made:

IBAN: Available immediately in most cases
E-/M-Banking: Available after 1 business day, on average
Card: Available on average after 3 business days
7 banks offer instant enabling and e-/m-banking activation
3 banks offer instant card issuance

At the same time, significant differences remain. The timeframe for providing an IBAN ranges from immediately to 8 business days; for e-banking and mobile banking access, from immediately to 10 business days; and for the card, from immediately to 12 days. More than half of the banks still rely on physical mail—and thus fail to meet the expectations of many new customers for a fully digital onboarding process.

Even more importantly: After opening an account, many banks go quiet—with the only interruption being physical letters containing the card and login information. There is often no clear strategy for guiding new customers toward their first active use of the account. Neobanks like Revolut and Neon show how it’s done.

How does your bank rank in the onboarding comparison?

We analyze your customer journey, identify gaps, and prioritize quick wins. Get in touch for a no-obligation session!

Where banks are wasting potential

No bank is entirely convincing throughout the entire customer journey. Often, the onboarding process itself is solid, but the transition to active use remains weak.

Common fractures include:

Switching between multiple apps and having to log in repeatedly slows customers down
Physical mail interrupts digital journeys.
The next steps aren’t always clear.
Welcome messages provide information but do not engage
True “WOW” moments are rare.
Feedback is rarely sought after onboarding—potential for improvement remains untapped

However, positive examples show what is possible:
An IBAN that is immediately visible, structured welcome emails that guide customers through the first few weeks, seamless app activation, well-designed mobile journeys, or a high-quality card presentation. Moments like these build trust and increase the likelihood that customers will actually use their new banking relationship.

The First 90 Days Are Crucial

Three archetypes emerge during the activation phase:

Strong Enablers Without Follow-Through Momentum

They make the account, app, and card available quickly, but then hardly capitalize on that momentum to encourage further use or offer relevant promotions.

Aggressive Activators

Frequent reminders about making a first deposit or using the service can draw attention, but they can quickly come across as intrusive.

Constant Companions

This group uses regular newsletters or app notifications. However, personalization is often still lacking. Generic communication is no substitute for a customer journey that is based on the customer’s actual behavior.

“Best-in-class” doesn’t mean more communication.

It means more relevant communication: at the right time, through the right channel, and with clear benefits.

From Onboarding to an Active Customer Relationship

Banks should not view digital onboarding as a completed process, but rather as the starting point of the client lifecycle.
Key questions include:

Which activation triggers are missing: login, first card use, first payment, or receipt of pay?
How much communication is “just right” —and which communication is behavior-based rather than generic?
How is the transition to the self-service catalog managed (CLM events)?

Those who systematically use these signals can better support new customers, reduce drop-offs, increase self-service usage, and tap into cross-selling and upselling potential in a more targeted way.

Pragmatica supports banks precisely at this intersection: digital onboarding, self-service and client lifecycle management, multi-experience and channel management, as well as CRM and consulting.

We combine market analysis, user journey analysis, UX optimization, and implementation experience.

A good place to start is with an Onboarding & Activation Quick Check:
In 2 to 3 weeks, we’ll analyze your customer journey, identify gaps, and prioritize the most important quick wins.

Act now

Opening an account is an important step. The real value comes afterward.

The quality of this initial experience serves as a calling card for your firm and significantly shapes how it is perceived as a confident partner for its clients’ financial needs.

Schedule a no-obligation session with Pragmatica and take advantage of our service offering, experience and expertise.

We’ll show you how your bank stacks up against the competition, what potential still exists in your onboarding experience and in customer activation, and which measures will yield quick results.

Contact

Dominik Weber

Lead CLM & Self-Services

dominik.weber@pragmatica.ch

+41 79 286 93 35

Learn more

Self-services in digital banking

Dominik Weber — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:07:24 +0000

Self-services in digital banking

The missed opportunity for many banks

Rising customer expectations of self-services

Today’s customers expect simple, fast and cross-channel self-service options – around the clock. In doing so, they are looking to smooth experiences from fintechs, health insurance companies and other providers. This development puts Swiss retail banks under pressure to further develop their digital offerings. Self-services are no longer a side issue, but a decisive factor for efficiency, customer satisfaction and digital competitiveness.

The reality?

Many banks are not yet fully exploiting this strategic potential. Their self-service offerings are often fragmented, incomplete and do not always meet modern requirements.

Do you want to find out what your self-service potential is?

We show you where you stand compared to the competition, identify specific areas for action and point out possible solutions.

Where banks are wasting potential

Our market analysis using mystery shopping at 16 Swiss banks shows that many institutions struggle with fragmented functions across e-banking, mobile app and website away. Customers often don’t know which channel is the right one for their needs. At the same time Revenue opportunities remain unused: Product openings, for example, are often hidden instead of prominently placed.

In addition, there are functional gaps that impair the customer experience: poor search functions disappoint users, first-generation financial analysis tools provide too little added value and self-services relating to security and powers of attorney are often only partially available

The path to excellence

A successful transformation begins with an in-depth analysis of typical customer needs and the company’s own position compared to the competition. This allows strategic gaps to be identified and a balanced roadmap to be developed. Building on this, it is important to eliminate media disruptions and maximize automation in order to create a seamless customer experience. At least as important is the targeted optimization of the user experience and the clear communication of offers. Finally, customers and employees need active support to ensure that new self-services are not only introduced but also used sustainably.

Eight success factors for excellent self-services

1. neo-banks as a role model

Close strategic gaps as a fast follower

2. outstanding UX

On equal footing with fintechs, no walls of text.

3. good visibility

Clearly position services

4. high utilization

Using gamification approaches for activation

5. rapid implementation

Responding agilely to customer needs

6. end-to-end digitization

Straight-through processing without media disruptions

7. internal END-TO-END anchoring

Central responsibility is defined

8. breaking down silo solutions

Modern architecture instead of rigid core banking system

Four steps to excellence

Our pragmatic approach in four steps:

#1 - Analysis & target image:

Benchmark with customer expectations and a clear roadmap.

#2 - End-to-end integration:

Eliminate media disruptions, maximize automation.

#3 - Usage & Security:

Optimize UX, control communication in a targeted manner.

#4 - Change & Communication:

Actively support customers and employees.