Digital Transformation and Customer Centricity

JG Summit harnessed new technologies and ways of working to maximize core growth, and enhance both customer experience and employee experience. These new ways of working tapped into the power of agile project management, data drivenness, and human-centered design.

Digital Transformation Office Initiatives

We generated business value from digitally-enabled projects and operational processes of corporate center units.
  • Project Judith, the cross-functional task force formed by JGS Corporate Procurement in 2019 to solve payment-on-time issues, is reaping the impact of initiatives driven by design thinking and being agile.
  • The JGS Digital Transformation Office (DTO) supported JGS Corporate Human Resources in the operationalization of data and predictive models to understand employee lifecycle and deliver better employee experience.
    • JGS DTO’s support to the supplier experience and employee experience initiatives of the conglomerate trained both project teams that technology is not the sole lever for digital transformation, and that people and process transformation are equally important.
We collaborated with strategic business units to address major pain points and generate business value.
  • The JGS DTO worked with Robinsons Bank in establishing an experimentation process in order to grow its RBank Digital (mobile banking app) user base. The experiments involved constantly looking at data and getting insights, designing tests to validate experiments, and analyzing the results in an iterative cycle.
    • These led to an increase in the app’s monthly active users, installs, and successful registrations.
  • Operational dashboards for Universal Robina Corporation (URC) provided a single source of truth to aid in decision making.
    • There was parallel culture building as JGS DTO resources were embedded in these strategic business units’ project teams. This resulted in data-driven design decisions and fast, frequent delivery of value to customers.
We developed digital fluency and competency in the conglomerate.
  • JGS DTO’s formal curriculum allowed the conglomerate’s digital practitioners to be trained on specific skills, while informal learning sessions exposed non-practitioners to general industry trends.
  • JGS DTO led Unbox Extra: the Gokongwei Group Innovation Festival. More than 5,000 employees and partners across the Gokongwei Group participated in the day-long virtual event. The event featured 30 speakers from 4 continents representing start-ups, corporates, consultants, the academe, and the Gokongwei Group itself.
  • JGS DTO supported JGS Corporate Human Resources in the design and delivery of targeted and bespoke individual learning journeys for the conglomerate’s Executive Development Program. The program focused on leadership competencies and digital awareness to constantly retool and future-proof the organization.
    • To measure outcome and impact attributable to the learning initiatives, JGS DTO closely partnered with strategic business units to measure learners’ sustained behavior change and improvement of business results.

Technology Adoption

  • Completed the migration to a full Hybrid Cloud setup of all JG Summit Infrastructure and Network solutions. This was done in partnership with Infosys, Microsoft Azure and PLDT Vitro.

  • Fully adopted “Service Now Workflow” systems to enhance Employee Experience.

  • Achieved a seamless work-from-home setup through the use of Microsoft 0365 Productivity and Collaboration tools and Security Systems.

  • Rolled out a UI Path Robotics Process Automation solution across Aspen Shared Services and RRHI.

  • Used the Mulesoft Application Programming Interface (API) to drive a more effective and efficient integration for internal and external customers.

Employee Experience Initiatives

JG Summit recognized as the Best in Future of Work
  • On October 7, 2021, JG Summit was recognized during the IDC ASEAN DX (Digital Transformation) Summit. The IDC Future Enterprise Awards are presented by International Data Corporation, a global market intelligence and advisory services provider.

  • Employee Listening was supercharged via online means. Using Qualtrics, we have digitized how we pulse our employees and analyze quickly to turn insight to action, addressing service requests or information needs of our workforce. We also have the capability of benchmarking our results against global, country and industry standards. In our annual Employee Engagement Survey, the Group got an Employee Engagement Index of 81%, faring higher than the global average.

Equipping our Employees in their Growth and Development powered by Digital Tools
  • We launched an online platform called “Employee Development, Growth, and Engagement” or “EDGE” powered by Darwinbox. This provides more streamlined experiences in Recruitment, Performance Management, and Career Development for our employees, and makes it all available at their fingertips.

  • This is also pivotal in making our candidate experience be more seamless and hassle-free via our Recruitment process, and makes the onboarding process easier and fulfilling for new hires.

Embraced Remote Ways of Working to sustain our People Programs
  • We adapted to remain connected with each other through localized and group-wide initiatives on Leadership Communication, Online Socialization, and Recognition.
COVID Protect – Gokongwei Group Vaccination Program
  • Health & well-being remains a priority for us. We provided employees with a Telemedicine service called Telehealth at the Gokongwei Group. This program lets employees easily contact medical professionals for COVID and non-COVID related illnesses for them to get proper medical advice and e-prescriptions. In 2021, there were a total of 10,966 consultations by our employees.

  • We also provided our employees and their dependents access to vaccines through “COVID Protect – Gokongwei Group Vaccination Program.” In 2021, we achieved 95% vaccination rate, both for our organic employees and third-party workers.

  • We also established 57 partner hospitals for our employees to have a direct link for special access on hospital admissions in the event that hospitalization due to COVID is necessary.

Improved Work Spaces to support Collaboration
  • We continued to improve our office workspaces to foster multi-functional collaboration, sustain employee productivity, and encourage agile and design-oriented thinking.

Digitally enabled distributors via tools that URC has provided to help them grow their customer base and manage their business:

Distributor Management System
for inventory management

Social Commerce Chatbot
where the distributor 
customers can order

Sales Force Automation
for order management

Facebook Federated Pages
where URC helps manage
communications for distributors

Launched innovative digital transformation initiatives across divisions such as:

  • Built a data analytics ecosystem that includes all mall - customer touchpoints (web, social media, WIFI, security cameras, etc.) to extract richer shopper insights and improve delivery of customer experiences.

  • Continued to promote contactless or cashless payment within RLC’s malls.

  • Implemented virtual turnovers of housing units where punchlisting and tours were conducted via video calls.

  • Launched enhanced health and safety protocols in office buildings.

  • Aims to populate Sierra Valley with interim commercial locators to attract and familiarize customers to the new township.

  • Launched its Omni-channel experience (Omni-X) enabling a more seamless journey through enhanced platforms for digital booking, self-service experience processes, cashless payments options.

  • Implemented contactless flight guidelines which include an overall digital boarding experience via online check-in, boarding pass scanning, and self-bag tagging.

  • Expanded the capabilities of its social media chatbot, Charlie, who moved CEB to zero call center operations here in the Philippines.

  • Building an Agility Platform that will enable CEB to integrate all its digital assets using an agile process that will drive reusability and efficiency.

  • ptimizing its Loyalty Program with migration of GetGo Rewards to GoRewards.

  • Improving its ancillary conversions through Ancillary Pricing Optimization, Re-packaged Seats and Value Added Services (Priority Boarding, Auto Check-in), and introducing Non-Flight Ancillary Partners (Hotels, Tours, Activities, Transfers, Test Options).

  • Offering relevant and innovative seat sale instruments (Super Pass, App-only sale).

Focused on driving business growth and enabling continuous improvement through best-in-class digital systems and solutions supporting four key workstreams:

Maintenance and Operational Reliability

Business Process Improvements

Manufacturing Efficiency and Process Controls

Robust Online Systems and Infrastructure

  • For the polymers business, a Diagnostic Business Model was adopted in 2021 towards deepening customers’ trust and confidence in our products and business, through which the customer and the Sales and Market Development teams work together to achieve joint objectives and co-create value in the use of our products. This business model is adopted especially for the highly differentiated EVALENE® offerings and potential offerings wherein significant value is created through changes in formulations and structures.
  • Introduced URC Sugar Planters Program which is a personalized debit card for URC’s suppliers which serves as their ID and collection account.

  • Acquired 40% of UNICON Insurance Brokers Corporation’s outstanding stocks. This strategic partnership is designed to complete the Bank’s suite of insurance products and services offered to valued clients. RBank will enhance digital play in insurance products to enable the customers to make purchases online.

  • Launched RBank RRemit in the Bank’s digital app, RDX. RBank RRemit allows RDX users to send remittance transactions online for payout at partner remittance agencies, including Cebuana Lhuillier. As of end-2021, the Bank processed over 1,400 RRemit transactions.

  • Introduced InstaBalé, an innovative financial product that allows eligible employees to make cash advances on their upcoming salary credits via RDX. By end-2021, this product had more than 120,000 transactions reaching more than PHP420.0 million in total availments.

  • Implemented the use of digital CIAR or Customer Information Authorization Record for account opening of both Corporate and Retail accounts. The digital forms are available for download on the RBank website for the convenience of the customers. This initiative resulted in savings on costs, reduced inventory space of pre-printed supplies in the branches, and improved customer experience.

  • Launched Supply Chain Financing which aims to provide immediate funds to the supplier by saying goodbye to payment terms and getting paid ahead through an approved invoice.

  • Opened its first Regional Business Banking Center (RBBC) in Cebu last November. Considered as a “showcase branch” or “one-stop shop” for RBank’s diversified products and services, the RBBC aims to make banking solutions more accessible to the public.

  • Strengthened cybersecurity and communications.

  • Improved business processes by embracing new contactless technologies.

  • Updated Standard Operating Procedures to conform with new normal trends, and leveraging digitalization to improve processes and ease of doing business.

  • Adopted contactless and seamless airport processes for customers.

  • Increased online presence and engagement to ensure customer communication whether through direct messaging or social media publications.

  • Continued to help drive the digital transformation of the conglomerate by investing in start-ups with strong strategic relevance to the group. This includes investments in newer sectors and technologies which have the potential to disrupt key group businesses in the future.

  • To promote ecosystem collaboration, JGDEV will look to regularly engage key Group SBUs in order to understand potential pain points, while also establishing a more high-touch approach with key start-ups to closely monitor the status of ongoing projects with the Group.

  • As part of the value creation agenda, DAVI will provide access to a variety of dashboards designed to enable real-time performance monitoring, fast and informed decision-making and accelerate action on moving priorities.
  • Committed to delivering operational excellence to all our customers and third-party providers.

  • Committed to making the roads safer for our employees, customers and the local communities we work in. DSSI will continue our regular education campaigns on defensive driving and safe practices for our third-party providers.

  • Maximizing its operations’ performance potential and creating an engaging and safe workplace, DSSI’s Operations Management System, together with its First Choice way of life (OMS First Choice) is the company’s operating system aimed at creating a performance management culture.