17 March 2021

At a time when the elderly are particularly vulnerable, colleagues in the Commercial Network continue to stay close to customers, offering solutions for banking that matters.

2:00 Min

Maintaining control of our assets in these unprecedented times is important but perhaps all the more difficult as we get older, especially in a fast paced, ever changing digital world.

Maria Giovanna Nicoletti, Personal Advisor at a UniCredit Branch in Rome tells the beautiful story of Calogero, an elderly customer, who - recently widowed -needed to find a way of managing his finances on his own. It is a story that is particularly close to Maria’s heart, highlighting the importance of empowering customers to be the “masters” of their investments, at any age.

“Calogero is a nice and kind 85 year old client. A real gentleman. I guess you might say a ‘man of former times’. He was my client when I was a consultant. When he changed branches, I put him in the very good hands of other colleagues there.

 

Being a man of habit and because we had built up a good relationship, he preferred to continue to come to me for financial advice.  And so, despite a few kilometers on foot each time, he would come into the branch to talk about his savings, and tell me about his life over a nice cup of coffee.

 

Unfortunately, when the pandemic broke out, we had to find an alternative solution, because Calogero needed to know that he had everything under control, even if our meetings could no longer take place. Together, we downloaded and installed the UniCredit Mobile Banking App.

 

You might think that it was very complicated for him, but you would be wrong! He told me that his daughter had given him a new Smartphone and that he wanted to learn how to use the ‘famous Apps that get you into the Bank’.

Now, when the restrictions and his legs allow, he comes into the branch so I can explain the new features of our App. Sometimes, he even explains them to me!

 

During his wife's illness and after her death, he needed to have some fixed points, to know that everything was in order and that he could manage his savings on his own. It was very important for him not to feel anxious about these points.

 

Obviously, he knows that if he needs anything, he can always count on me and my colleagues. Although our App cannot alleviate his loss, knowing that he can keep control of his assets independently has given Calogero some comfort in such a difficult moment.

 

All UniCredit clients can find a home in this story, because the App is ultimately their home too. And in an ageing country, where the elderly – although vulnerable – are still our strength, the thought of Calogero, my ‘Mr Senior App’, warms my heart and makes me say that yes, we are the Bank for the things that matter.”

 

If, like Maria Giovanna, you have a great digitisation story to tell, write to UniCredit - Italia - Best Practice Sharing Italy.