SINGAPORE – When Terissa Chang and Ethan Peh waltz into OCBC’s premier private client lounge on level 34 of OCBC Centre, it is hard not to take notice.
Impeccably dressed and camera-ready, the OCBC employees project the confidence and polish one might expect of professionals accustomed to serving some of Singapore’s wealthiest clients.
Chang is a premier service manager who interfaces daily with affluent customers at the bank’s premier private client lounge, while Peh is a relationship development manager responsible for the acquisition of new customers for the premier banking and premier private client segments.
Though they now navigate the world of high-net-worth banking, Chang and Peh – both aged 40 – go back much further.
They previously spent 13 years as senior cabin crew at Singapore Airlines, serving passengers in the air, before their careers led them to the same bank.
Now, Chang and Peh have taken on another role – one that does not require them to step into an aircraft or sit across from a client.
They are Wendy and Wayne – the digital faces of OCBC’s latest push into artificial intelligence.
Terissa Chang, a premier service manager, and Ethan Peh, a relationship development manager, were picked from a shortlist of 20 to 30 employees.
PHOTO: OCBC
The AI avatars, designed to interact with customers and support the bank’s wealth-management services, sit within what OCBC says is South-east Asia’s first AI-native mobile banking app – providing sophisticated portfolio analysis to better understand underlying exposures and sources of risk.
The initiative is part of the bank’s “next frontier” strategy to harness AI, digital technology and data announced in February to drive growth, with a commitment to spend more than $1 billion annually on technology for the next few years.
Chang and Peh said they found themselves becoming minor celebrities overnight after the bank rolled out the beta version of the OCBC WoW app to a select group of users for testing in July.
“I’ve been addressed as Wendy – it has actually become part of my identity,” Chang said.
For Peh, being the face of the AI avatar serves as an “icebreaker”, making it easier to connect with clients when he meets them in person.
“They find me familiar through the app. They can put a name to the face,” he said, adding that some customers have addressed him as “Wayne”.
OCBC head of wealth advisory Chez Anbu said the bank was looking for candidates who were not just eloquent, but also had warm, pleasant dispositions that could put customers at ease.
Chang and Peh fit the bill nicely, standing out from a shortlist of 20 to 30 employees – all of whom had been carefully handpicked and recommended by their supervisors.
Anbu said: “We believe that their genuine warmth and service-oriented natures were key ingredients in the successful materialisation of Wendy and Wayne.”
The production process of the AI avatars was fairly intensive. Chang said she went through two filming sessions, the first of which involved a green screen and a teleprompter. She had to read a five-minute passage, much like a news casting exercise.
It was initially nerve-racking, as getting her delivery and expressions right meant even simple phrases could require multiple takes.
According to OCBC head of wealth advisory Chez Anbu, clients have requested the ability to execute complex transactions, such as trades and orders, directly through the OCBC WoW app.
PHOTO: OCBC
While the AI could correct verbal mistakes like mispronunciations, facial expressions were harder to fix. Chang noted that she had to maintain a consistent, natural look throughout the shoot, as any change in expression caused by stumbling over a line could not be easily corrected by the software.
For Peh, the experience was less intimidating than expected. The team directed well and was helpful, making him feel at ease. He noted that bringing a human touch to the avatars – through the right tone and natural expressions – was the key to making them lifelike.
Anbu said early feedback from users has been encouraging.
“Customers who are part of the invite-only testing group frequently interact with the channel to get information on their portfolios and insights on the markets and investment ideas. Some clients expressed a desire for the eventual ability to execute more complex tasks – such as trades and orders – directly via the app,” he said.
Growing client recognition has made Chang and Peh more self-conscious of their professional image.
With “Wayne” always looking picture-perfect, Peh said he now puts more effort into his own appearance, putting on a tie even on days when he feels tired. He also strives to respond promptly to clients in a bid to “be as close as he can get to Wayne”.
Chang, similarly, finds herself smiling more and being highly mindful of her demeanour during client interactions.
“Now that I’m known as Wendy, I need to step up to be on par with Wendy,” she said. “Wendy is updating everybody on the insights while I am sleeping. She’s working 24/7 even as I need a break. It really makes me strive to be even more professional in my role.”
Chang and Peh said being recognised more frequently by clients has made them more conscious of how they present themselves professionally.
PHOTO: OCBC
Still, the bank said there is a distinction between real and reel.
While Chang and Peh provide the faces for Wendy and Wayne, customers should note that the pair are neither client advisers nor relationship managers.
“They are thus not in the position, and not licensed, to give financial advice to clients. Instead, our customers are encouraged to speak to their client advisers and specialists should they require investment advice,” said Anbu.
If Chang or Peh were to leave the bank, their avatars would be removed from the system, and new ones created using the digital likeness of other OCBC staff, as part of the bank’s AI guardrails.
Employees may also withdraw their consent at any time, said Anbu.
When asked which part of their jobs they would happily hand over to their avatars, Peh chose responding to clients any time, anywhere.
Chang, meanwhile, said she would gladly outsource the time-consuming process of getting ready for work.
“My grooming, so I can sleep an hour more. Wendy wakes up with professional make-up and hair. If I can save that hour, I’ll be very happy,” she said.
