How do you train a soft skill today that could prevent a credit problem tomorrow?
<p>Bancolombia needed to strengthen its relationship managers’ ability to understand premium clients and cross-check information when assessing large loan applications. I proposed an investigation game to practise that skill: observing the context, connecting clues with the available information and recognising when to investigate further before deciding. The project was developed in collaboration with Feeling Company, which handled the communications campaign and closing event. My scope covered the concept, design and production leadership of the game and its dashboard.</p>
THE SITUATION
What were we trying to make happen?
Make observation a regular part of client visits.
Relationship managers had access to documents, tools and client information. The challenge was to apply that knowledge in conversation: understand the client’s life stage, identify their needs and recognise possible inconsistencies in the information they provided.
An unexplored discrepancy in a loan application could later become a repayment problem. The bank wanted to intervene early by strengthening commercial judgement and practices that supported loan portfolio quality.
The training needed to connect what relationship managers knew with what they did when meeting a client.
The Idea
What was the idea?
Turn the relationship manager into an investigator.
The client brought a training challenge. I proposed a game inspired by the investigation and hidden object mechanics of Criminal Case.
Each case placed the player in a client’s office.
To solve it, they had to explore the surroundings, pay attention to the conversation and connect their discoveries with the available information.
The setting gave observation a purpose. Clues encouraged players to cross-check and ask questions, while the scenarios connected that practice with the commercial knowledge the bank wanted to reinforce.
The aim was to develop an approach to observation that relationship managers could carry into their client visits.
Direction
What did I design?
I created the game concept, characters and player journey. I defined the gamification strategy, scoring system, look and feel, and interface layouts.
I also assembled and coordinated the production team. Illustrators created the game artwork, and the design team produced the visual assets under my direction. The technical team implemented the game in Unity and built the frontend and backend components, including the dashboard.
My responsibility covered creative direction, experience design and project management through delivery. Feeling Company developed the campaign and event surrounding the experience.
System
How did the system work?
Practise understanding clients through decisions.
Players received a case and an initial client profile.
They then explored the setting, consulted information and gathered clues to guide their decisions.
The experience connected observation with interpretation: what a detail might mean, how it related to what the client had said and what needed checking before moving forward.
Different cases offered opportunities to practice in different contexts. Scores and completed-case indicators made progress visible. The program included eight cases, with 21 days to complete at least six.
The dashboard allowed the bank to monitor participation on the platform.
Impact
What changed?
We turned a training budget into a game that let relationship managers practice observation and commercial judgement in simulated client situations.
We delivered the game and its dashboard in three months, from concept through production, working within the bank’s security requirements.
The result was a training tool integrated into a broader communications and learning initiative, with a clear purpose: help relationship managers make better use of information and deepen their understanding of clients before deciding.
