Libertad Soluciones de Vida enables new market spheres by digitizing its operations with Dynamics 365 and Azure Synapse Analytics

Making a 180° turn

Libertad Soluciones de Vida is a public financial institution (SOFIPO) that originated as Caja Popular 63 years ago in Querétaro, Mexico. Today it has 143 branches in 24 states throughout the country and has a physical growth plan in 2023 to reach the entire country.

Recognizing itself as a traditional financial company, in 2018 it began incorporating new technologies to evolve its physical operation toward a digital outlook.

José Ricardo Merino, Deputy General Manager of Business at Libertad Soluciones de Vida, says: "In 2018 we decided to start with a transformation process that allowed us to be closer to our customers by starting with the Libertad Digital macro project."

Merino says that the project brings together all initiatives related to conceptual and technological innovation and that it seeks strategic alliances like Microsoft's to implement the best tools and strategies that help make transactions faster and more convenient for the end user.

"We were committed to the generations of customers who have trusted us," says Pablo Madinaveitia, Executive Director of Technology and Transformation. "That's why we are committed to end-to-end technologies that would enable us to build agile processes that are connectable to Microsoft's architecture," he adds, alluding to the Microsoft 365 suite, Dynamics 365, Azure Synapse, and enabling data using Power BI.

From CRM to the cloud

Merino points out that from the beginning, the goal was to crystallize strategic alliances in more effective financial services, which consolidate the integration of the systems with each other. The organization had the conviction of offering a memorable experience to its current clients and, at the same time, of being the best option for the market to conquer.

A significant part of Libertad's business is targeted at campaigns for customers with active credit. But there was no system to connect the business processes involved in those campaigns. Therefore, the lack of a CRM was identified to be able to concentrate the information of its customers who, throughout their history, add up to a monumental 2.5 million.

"With the information disconnected and regionalized, it was very difficult to execute an effective operation in this regard. Of course, we needed to incorporate Microsoft Dynamics 365 as a CRM to consolidate the data," Madinaveitia admits.

A three-year strategic technology plan was defined that consisted of moving the customer database to Dynamics, assembling processes, and migrating to Azure. Consequently, the public financial institution managed to reach users throughout Mexico, including Mexican clients who were able to originate credits from abroad.

Implementation: The step-by-step

To make offers to the customer, Libertad set up its digital platform on Azure. Currently, one in three loans is generated digitally, but to reach this number, the company had to go a long way starting in 2019.

With the support of 54cuatro, a Microsoft partner, the finance company began change management with a four-month pilot for 323 users (which then increased to 650), thus covering the entire network.

By 2020, the arrival of the pandemic required doubling operations with 1,200 users, mostly frontline workers destined for call centers to provide customer service. In the middle of the year, Libertad launched its mobile app. In turn, the adoption of new contracting mechanisms accelerated exponentially, which enabled the generation of credit sales remotely.

"We not only sped up the operation, but also the response times. Before, it took up to 48 hours to give the customer visibility into their credit. Today, we can do it in less than 30 minutes," says Merino enthusiastically, who believes that by making life easier for customers with technology, the company is honoring its long-standing quest to be a public institution that provides financial inclusion to the people who need it most.

Libertad Digital project

Following the launch of Libertad Digital in 2019, Merino emphasizes that the goal was to empower the Libertad customer, offering a wide range of products and services and improving the experience of branch users to their device and digital media, in some cases 24 hours a day, seven days a week. "Our Alpha and Omega is our customers' quality of life," he says.

On the other hand, even though he admits that Libertad is still a "branch company," for Madinaveitia, this is the beginning of a transformative journey. "We don't aspire to be tech experts. We choose to have strategic allies like Microsoft and 54cuatro, who know the platforms well and guide us along the way," he says.

The intent of Libertad Soluciones de Vida is to continue to innovate. One example of this was its integration into Azure in 2021 and the successful implementation of Sherpa, its own management platform so that the commercial team can bring a standardized agenda and follow-up model with its customers. "Sherpa, referring to the inhabitants of the Himalayas, is a guide for all executives to prospect in the field or in branches through the CRM and with the value that the data brings," explains Merino.

In addition to the imminent launch of its credit card, the future of the Mexican institution is perceived as being digital. "Over the next five years, we want more than 70% of our business to be based on digital channels," Madinaveitia predicts. "In the short term, we are looking for the customer to have the process become self-assisted, that is, without the need for an executive to help them through the paperwork."

"We want to bring life solutions through financial inclusion to those who don't have access to these services today, and with technology leaders we are doing that," Merino reaffirms.

The business potential is evident and, although these are its first digital steps, the financial company is satisfied with the benefits obtained. Of course, the vision that excites it the most is the opportunity to be able to provide financial inclusion to all Mexicans through technology, which speaks very well of the culture and vocation of this company.