전통은행의 디지털 전환을 위한 핵심 과제 디지털 전환, 은행, 핀테크, 고객의 정의, 사회적 표상 이론: 전통은행과 핀테크 직원들은 고객을 다르게 인식하는가?

This study compares and analyzes how employees in the financial industry are looking at customers in the era of digital transformation using social representation theory methodology. Especially, it compares the representations of customers thought by employees working at traditional banks and fintech, which are representative operators in the financial industry, to analyze cases of perception of the right customers in the era of digital transformation. This study uses the social representation theory, a useful method for comparing differences in perception between groups. Social representation theory is a method of understanding a common perspective by connecting individual perceptions or actions of phenomena occurring in society to social discourse. A survey was conducted on 40 employees working at banks and fintech for the study, and all respondents provide their perception based on semi-structured questions about customers. Through the text that was provided by respondents, this study finds 13 topics that are closely related to the concept of customer, and then the core-peripheral relationship between the derived topics was identified. Finally, the maximum tree structure was used to visualize the relationship between the derived topics. Among the 13 identified topics, bank employees were comprised of 2 core factors and 5 peripheral factors, while fintech employees consisted of 5 core factors and 7 peripheral factors. According to the results, it was confirmed that there was a difference in perception between banks and fintech employees. First, there was a difference in terms of profit generation. Bank employees view customers as targets for sales and profit generation, while fintech employees are viewed as targets that require continuous relationships rather than direct sales and profits. Second, there was a difference in perception of the need for relationship formation. Both banks and fintech were recognized as objects that should maintain good relationships through trust. However, from a specific point of view, bank employees try to maintain relationships with customers for profit generation, and fintech employees try to maintain relationships with customers for service innovation, such as understanding the market and setting the direction of the business. Third, there is a difference in the attitudes toward customers. In the case of bank employees, customer priority is advocated from the customer's passive point of view, and in the case of fintech employees, customers recognize that they need to actively and actively play various roles on their own. Fourth, it is possible to check the difference in level of understanding digital customer’s characteristics. While banks are looking at customers for profit generation, in the case of FinTech, customers should recognize them as targets that can move to new services at any time according to profits and understand that customer satisfaction and customer loyalty should be formed by providing services that suit their situation. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the differing perceptions of bank and fintech employees towards customers in the digital era. Understanding these disparities can help shape effective strategies for building stronger customer relationships and maximizing business outcomes.