Why the Commonwealth Bank of Australia Opened Up to Customers about Credit Card Risks

Podcast: Cold Call · HBR Presents / Brian Kenny

Opublikowano: 2026-03-03

In August 2017, Commonwealth Bank of Australia was looking for ways to differentiate itself from competing banks and was also trying to improve the financial well-being of its customers. One area where this was particularly relevant was in its bank-issued credit card business, where customers routinely selected cards that — although profitable for the bank — could be a poor fit for their needs. This led to low customer satisfaction scores, cancellations, and occasionally, financial distress. The bank decided to experiment: Rather than just presenting the strengths of its various credit card offerings, they proposed also promoting each credit card’s drawbacks. Being...