Comarch User Group brings together representatives from 40 countries and is an event that has become a tradition.” The only continent not represented here is Antarctica. “, summed up one of the organizers when asked about the countries of origin of the participating guests. At the Comarch campus in Kraków’s Czyżyny district, the company’s CEO, Dr. Anna Pruska, welcomed guests in several languages, noting in her short speech that it was impossible to use them all.
– This year we will continue to consolidate our position in foreign markets and the development
of our key solutions – announced Dr. Anna Pruska. – It is my goal to further strengthen Comarch's market position as a global ITsolution provider and to ensure that we will remain your IT partner throughout 2024 and beyond. She encouraged conference participants to engage in substantive discussions in one of Poland’s most beautiful cities: “Let’s celebrate the past and develop the future together.”
Her speech kicked off two days of talks, presentations and the most interesting case studies from the industry. An exciting aspect of the conference was looking at the topics that are heavily featured in the media and everyday life and engaging IT industry. IT, often associated with coding, is actually about solving user problems in all areas of life, from shopping and travel to banking applications and even health. Demographics, the ubiquity of artificial intelligence and Generation Z appeared in various presentations.
Comarch User Group is not only about networking and expert discussions, but also about showing the different faces of Kraków to the guests. On the first day, they saw the more industrial but green side of Czyżyny, where Comarch's headquarters are located (participants could visit the company's innovation zone). On the second day, they experienced the historical heart of the city, where the organizers chose Pałac Pod Baranami (Palace under the Rams), the International Cultural Center and the Grand Hotel this year.
The critical value of the Comarch User Group is pragmatism and the ability to have a global view of the loyalty, telecommunications and financial markets from the perspective of those who use the latest technologies to meet real customer needs. That is why the event enjoys such an excellent turnout.
Customer Experience First – Trends and Challenges in Loyalty
Almost everyone deals with loyalty programs on a daily basis. We rarely think about what’s inside and why a program is structured the way it is. David Fieldman, Global Chairman of Loyalty Summit and Managing Partner at Catchit Loyalty, spoke about how best practices from the travel industry can be applied to other business areas to turn a loyalty program into a revenue stream. According to him, loyalty generation is built on good practices based on a clear strategy and data analysis from consumer behavior and experiences. The true value of any loyalty program lies in its ability to stimulate changes in customer behavior. ", he summarized.
The loyalty panel focused mainly on case studies of collaborations carried out by Comarch’s specialist team over the years and expert debates. Olivier Martinet, CEO of Posidonia Consulting, Athanasios Sbonias, Head of Customer Experience at HelleniQ Energy, and Sami Nachawati, Consulting Manager at Comarch, discussed the development of loyalty programs in fuel retail in the context of the transformation of electric vehicles. Case studies on the implementation of loyalty systems for various customers were presented, including collaborations with JetBlue Airways and building loyalty through unforgettable experiences thanks to the joint efforts of Comarch and Globe Telecom. A notable original topic was launching a loyalty program from scratch in the dynamic African market for the recognized brand Asante Rewards.
“ We focused not only on delivering the highest promise of benefits to customers, but also on ensuring that their experience comes first in all our decisions. This meant giving customers the best experiences at every step. , explained Dharmesh Bhana, Executive of Loyalty & Rewards at NedBank, whose loyalty program, which rewards users for efficient financial management, was revamped thanks to Comarch.
Financial services – from philosophy and literature to IT pragmatism
Andrzej Przewięźlikowski, Comarch's Vice President, opened the discussion with CUG 2024 participants from the financial and insurance sectors by quoting Heraclitus: “ Change is the only constant in life. “
He referred to the recent flurry of global changes that are significantly impacting all aspects of business, especially the financial sector. He asked the audience if they had heard the term “lockdown” before 2020, which is now used in various contexts, or if they had ever paid so much attention to artificial intelligence, which has been around for decades. He also emphasized the role of new regulations and directives that affect every little part of business – their intensity is also new to entrepreneurs.
The task of software creators is to help customers navigate the new reality with IT solutions. Comarch reacts quickly to changes and constantly modifies its portfolio to implement them.
Alexandru Calin from Groupe Societe Generale quoted Mark Twain: “ It's not what you don't know that kills you; it's what you know for sure isn't true."
This quote helped lead the audience through a story about the IT process he called “From a Drawing Board to Production,” the management path required to create effective solutions that meet user expectations.
Anna Grechowicz-Dorosz from Credit Agricole Bank Polska SA and Krzysztof Ziomek from EFL Group presented a comprehensive banking ecosystem created with Comarch's support, combining two systems without having to build everything from scratch. This approach significantly shortened the time to market for the new system. They emphasized that with the current pace of change, sticking to old solutions is not just standing still, but going backwards. Platformization is the best way, which brings many advantages to the bank and allows for individual customization of benefits for the customer.
Tomasz Jędroszkowiak and Małgorzata Moderacka from Comarch Insurance sector presented the estimated population age in selected parts of the world in 2030. It is not only Europe that will become older, and this will have a significant impact on the insurance industry. Therefore, this must be taken into account when planning IT solutions.
Bradley Jones from Comarch UK looked at insurance from a completely different angle. He discussed how the industry is changing under Generation Z. Social media, which follows young people 24/7, plays a huge role. Without actively using it, insurance companies cannot seriously consider serving this generation. He also presented data that highlights the increasing importance of mental health for young people, which needs to be considered from the front line of insurance applications.
Telecommunications – The era of new technology
Marcin Kaleta, Comarch's Vice President, introduced the participants to telecommunications issues. He presented the current structure of the sector and discussed development plans, especially in foreign markets, which were strongly represented at the event in Krakow by Comarch's customers and partners.
“The Era of New Technologies” was the theme of a presentation by Toni Eid, founder of one of the most well-known media platforms, Telecom Review, covering North America, Asia-Pacific, Africa, the Middle East and Europe. “5G technology has ushered in a new era of connectivity, delivering many real-world use cases far beyond faster download speeds. From widespread IoT device deployment to the development of smart cities, autonomous vehicles, and advanced healthcare solutions, 5G is not just about speed, but about revolutionizing the way people live and work, says Toni Eid.
Dr. Andrzej Cwik from 450Connect discussed a new type of telecommunications company, with specific goals and seeking a different collaboration with software providers than those that dominate the market. 450Connect is a German company with four shareholders, established to create a high-availability network with guaranteed continuity and relatively few offered services, low complexity and innovation. These are telecommunications networks that are organized as security networks, ensuring availability in crises and for prioritized government institutions and critical suppliers such as police and fire departments, military and electricity and water suppliers.
Therefore, they are looking for a new form of partnership with software providers that emphasize high efficiency, stability and resilience. Dr. Cwik highlighted Comarch's four advantages in this regard: experience in delivering Telco network management software, simplicity, completeness and complementarity of the offering with a clearly defined structure, unified origin of solutions directly from the software provider, together with excellent competencies and extensive experience of Comarch employees.
Tymoteusz Wrona, Head of Presales in Telecommunications Division at Comarch, spoke about the transition from TelCo to TechCo. Today, telecommunications is not just about selling connections. The key is products based on proprietary and partner solutions, which incorporate artificial intelligence, including ML and GenAI. The transition from closed telecommunications protocols to recommended IP standards and virtualization in the cloud environment plays an important role, enabling deeper and seamless integration with subcontractors, partners and even competing solutions.
How to generate profits using artificial intelligence?
The debate on AI monetization and safety, led by tech blogger and podcaster “Technofobia” Artur Kurasiński, will undoubtedly remain in the memories of the participants. It featured Dominika Bettman, General Manager of Microsoft in Poland, Agnieszka Bochacka, Digital Transformation Expert at PwC, and Comarch specialists Marek Kuczyński, Head of Intelligent Assurance & Analytics, and Maria Wróblewska, AI Solutions Coordinator.
Dominika Bettman from Microsoft emphasized that the benefits of using AI in a business are not always purely financial:
“Monetization for AI is also related to increasing employee productivity. It doesn’t have to be directly about money. It can also be about freeing up time for employees to perform other tasks.”
Marek Kuczyński explained that when considering AI solutions, integration costs must always be taken into account:“If you want to implement AI solutions, you always have to consider the cost of integration and the fact that they provide huge benefits. AI algorithms give us tips or important information about the source of problems, which makes the work significantly easier.”
During the finance panel, President Andrzej Przewięźlikowski rightly noted that everyone is currently talking about and wanting artificial intelligence. However, it is better to leave the field to IT professionals so that AI can make deep sense in businesses and bring real benefits.
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