The chapter was honored to welcome Brig. Gen. Mitchell Butikofer, USAF (Ret.), vice president of workforce digital services at USAA, as the keynote speaker for the July Monthly Luncheon. Gen. Butikofer shared his plan of attack for automating processes and saving USAA nearly $37 million in fiscal year 2022.
Right from the start, one of Gen. Butikofer's primary initiatives was to ensure that his team fully understood the needs of the military members they were serving. To achieve this, he took his executive team to Nellis Air Force Base for nearly a week to meet with military personnel and gain insights into their day-to-day lives and challenges. As he emphasized, "At USAA, we're focused on increasing efficiency and effectiveness to help members maintain financial security." This vision translated into optimizing end-user experiences through simplified artificial intelligence (AI) service desk messaging and enhanced mobile experiences. His team achieved this by implementing interactive voice response (IVR) technology to expedite workforce operations and user interactions. Moreover, Gen. Butikofer prioritized the integration of assistive technologies to ensure that members with hearing or other disabilities were not left behind.
Gen. Butikofer also reevaluated the operational and security stacks and recognized the importance of the ability to pivot services to save time and resources. His aim was to elevate application efficiency from a proactive to a predictive level of monitoring and usage. In doing so, he embraced the software-as-a-service (SaaS) ecosystem, leaving virtual desktop infrastructure behind. Drawing on his extensive experience in cybersecurity, Gen. Butikofer wisely chose to rely on and expand upon an existing infrastructure rather than reinvent the wheel.
With a projected $38 million in savings for 2023, Gen. Butikofer's vision and leadership undoubtedly speak for themselves. By reinvesting in its members, USAA reaffirms its commitment to putting members' needs at the forefront. Under Gen. Butikofer's guidance, USAA continuously earns its place as a leader in customer-centricity in the digital landscape.
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