Fintech Takes

What Customers Want: Fintech’s Complicated Relationship with Customer Service


Listen Later

Welcome to What Customers Want, a limited series from the Fintech Takes podcast, hosted by yours truly.

In this 4-part series, I’ll be cracking open one of fintech’s most puzzling topics: customer service. And I’ll be joined by Corey Besaw, President of APAC and one of the founders of Ubiquity, a company that knows a thing or two about scaling up a customer service operation. 

While fintechs are famously customer-obsessed —- from early paycheck access to compliance emails so spectacular they can move regulators —- that obsession hasn’t always extended to customer service.

Fintechs love to "engineer around" customer service, but as they compete more directly with banks, this will shift. FAQs and chatbots can’t solve everything. Sometimes, people need to talk about their money, and that builds trust. 

So, what’s the sweet spot between automation and human touch for fintechs? This series dives into what works and what doesn’t. 

Over the next four episodes, we’ll explore customer service challenges, from BaaS and Reg E to generative AI, all while keeping in mind the human side of money.

In this episode, episode 1, Alex and Corey explore how fintechs and traditional banks approach customer service and what customers actually want when they pick up their phone and try to solve a problem.


Highlights include:

  • The hidden costs of customer service and why "cost per contact" metrics can be misleading.
  • The challenges fintechs face as they scale—managing fragmented tech stacks and organizational silos.
  • How fintechs can differentiate by embracing human connection, using tools like generative AI to enhance (not replace) service.

  • Is tech convenience enough, or is the reassuring voice of a real person still king? Tune in to find out.

    And don’t forget to subscribe and catch more insights on what customers want in upcoming episodes!

    Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/

    And for more exclusive insider content, don’t forget to check out my YouTube page.


    Follow Alex: 

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson

    Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson


    Follow Corey:

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corey-besaw-8004182/


    Learn more about Ubiquity here:

    https://www.ubiquity.com/

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    Fintech TakesBy Alex Johnson

    • 4.9
    • 4.9
    • 4.9
    • 4.9
    • 4.9

    4.9

    12 ratings


    More shows like Fintech Takes

    View all
    WSJ What’s News by The Wall Street Journal

    WSJ What’s News

    4,314 Listeners

    Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

    Freakonomics Radio

    31,896 Listeners

    a16z Podcast by Andreessen Horowitz

    a16z Podcast

    1,006 Listeners

    Slate Money by Slate Podcasts

    Slate Money

    1,013 Listeners

    Odd Lots by Bloomberg

    Odd Lots

    1,767 Listeners

    Fintech Insider Podcast by 11:FS by 11:FS

    Fintech Insider Podcast by 11:FS

    187 Listeners

    Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy by Colossus | Investing & Business Podcasts

    Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy

    2,290 Listeners

    Eye On The Market by Michael Cembalest

    Eye On The Market

    282 Listeners

    All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg by All-In Podcast, LLC

    All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg

    8,756 Listeners

    Hard Fork by The New York Times

    Hard Fork

    5,363 Listeners

    web3 with a16z crypto by a16z crypto, Sonal Chokshi, Chris Dixon

    web3 with a16z crypto

    62 Listeners

    Fintech Business Podcast by Jason Mikula

    Fintech Business Podcast

    8 Listeners

    BG2Pod with Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley by BG2Pod

    BG2Pod with Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley

    438 Listeners

    Money Stuff: The Podcast by Bloomberg

    Money Stuff: The Podcast

    372 Listeners

    Complex Systems with Patrick McKenzie (patio11) by Patrick McKenzie

    Complex Systems with Patrick McKenzie (patio11)

    115 Listeners