Boosting Financial Engagement through Conversational Design

DESCRIPTION

Abrigo - Financial Technology Solutions Provider

COMPANY

Lead Conversational Designer

ROLE

Over the past year, I led efforts to revitalize Abrigo's conversational engagement strategy for banks and credit unions, focusing on aligning content and nurturing relationships through personalized conversations. A significant part of my work involved monthly conversation analysis, identifying gaps, and optimizing conversational flows based on observed patterns. With these improvements, we are now in a strong position to adopt AI-driven chatbots.

CONTEXT

12-month engagement (on-going)

TIMELINE

Rebuilt conversational design strategy

Monthly conversation analysis for optimization

Targeted engagement for financial events (e.g., ThinkBig)

Optimized customer segmentation for nurturing

AI readiness for conversational engagement

DELIVERABLES

Initially, Abrigo’s conversational engagement was low, with a 0.2% engagement rate. Our goal was to dive deep into understanding how financial institutions preferred communication, what resources they found most valuable, and how to refine conversations to drive meaningful interactions. The focus was on nurturing banks and credit unions and preparing the conversational structure for AI adoption.

BACKGROUND

Abrigo provides compliance, risk, and lending solutions for financial institutions. At the start of our engagement, the conversational design lacked the targeted language and playbooks needed to engage their audience effectively.

This resulted in minimal engagement. I worked closely with the Abrigo team to not only rebuild the strategy but also conduct monthly conversation analysis to continuously optimize based on user behavior.

OBJECTIVE

The aim was twofold: increase engagement with current conversational design strategies by tailoring them to the specific needs of financial institutions and prepare the foundation for future AI-driven conversational experiences.

We wanted to capture cleaner data, reduce support-related inquiries, and boost conversion rates for both engagement and bookings.

SOLUTION 1

Rebuilding Conversational Plays for Banks & Credit Unions


Through comprehensive research and close collaboration with the Abrigo team, we redesigned conversational plays to match the tone and resource needs of credit unions and banks. This new approach targeted their specific pain points and interests, making interactions more relevant and valuable. A big portion of our work also began as we updated content and updated our initial greeters through A/B testing.

SOLUTION 2

Conversation Analysis for Optimization
Every month, I reviewed ongoing conversations to spot patterns, identify drop-off points, and assess gaps in the flows. Based on these findings, I shared recommendations with the Abrigo team, leading to optimizations that improved the user experience and increased engagement.

SOLUTION 3

Driving Engagement for Financial Events
A major focus was on boosting engagement for financial events like Abrigo's ThinkBig event. We worked on highly targeted lists, pushing leads closer into the consideration phase of the funnel. This included tailored conversation flows that spoke directly to the needs of attendees and segmented audiences.

RESULTS

Within six months, we saw marked improvements in the conversational engagement strategy:

  • Traffic: For 3 months, data showed around 91K visitors.

  • Engagement rate: From an initial 0.2% to 0.5%.

  • Emails captured: Increased from 24.8% to 26.8%.

  • Meetings booked: 13% (with cleaner, more targeted data).

This success paved the way for AI-powered conversational design, which we’re now prepared to implement.

Additionally, we’ve been able to show via CRM tracking (pipeline influenced and closed won) that we’ve been able to close deals that have come through the chatbot itself.

CONCLUSION

By strategically redesigning Abrigo’s conversational design and conducting ongoing conversation analysis, we significantly boosted engagement and conversion rates.

With the account now in a healthy state, we are ready to integrate AI-driven chatbots into the experience, enhancing customer support and capturing more meaningful interactions.

This case study illustrates how a thoughtful approach to conversation design can transform customer engagement in the financial sector while laying the groundwork for AI adoption.