Q&A with Patrick Davie, Head of Quality, Financial Institutions Group, Fiserv
Q: You were recently named Head of Quality across the Financial Institutions Group. What was the genesis of the role?
A: The Fiserv executive leadership team envisioned this position to emphasize our commitment to our clients’ success. We have always been dedicated to delivering quality in every aspect to our clients. Recognizing the critical nature of the products and services we provide; we focus on how our clients define success to ensure alignment with them from day one. We have heard from clients that we do not always align within Fiserv and much of our focus will be on enabling a better aligned approach and dialogue.
Q: What is the significance of the timing of this new role? Why now?
A: Quality has always been integral to our day-to-day operations, but Fiserv has never had a dedicated person or group responsible for it holistically – someone who is thinking only about quality. With this new position, it is the only thing on my desk.
The executive endorsement of quality and the naming of a Head of Quality for all of the Financial Solutions Group signals to our clients that we understand the mission and are committed to consistently delivering excellence for them and their customers or members.
Q: You have a distinguished 14-year tenure with Fiserv in a variety of different roles, most recently as Head of Card Services. What specifically prepared you for this role?
A: The way I would think about this is through the lens of my formative years in the industry. After college I served in the Army. Anyone who served knows the military is very much about process and systems. This foundational thinking was engrained in me and shaped my development as a leader. I came to understand the significance of viewing things as interconnected systems that need to evolve as circumstances change. This means as the financial ecosystem begins to change or as our clients shift their strategies, we need to quickly understand the implications and identify what and where we adapt to meet their needs.
My first job after the Army was as a relationship manager. In that role, I learned to view problems and obstacles from our clients’ perspectives. It was very natural for me to embrace a client-centric view because I was constantly in their offices, hearing firsthand their struggles, challenges, and opportunities.
The combination of systems and process thinking early in my career, along with my experience as a relationship manager, proved invaluable as I transitioned into more business and operations roles. I ran operations teams and managed products and ultimately started owning and running large P&Ls inside Fiserv. I understand the connection points throughout Fiserv and at our clients’ organizations and that gives me an advantage in my new role.
Q: In your new role as Head of Quality, what are your responsibilities? What key messages do you want to convey to clients?
A: I've talked to more than 20 clients in the first couple of weeks in my new role with more meetings scheduled each week. I emphasize our focus on client experience and our client-centric approach. We want to make sure we understand exactly what they're struggling with, what opportunities we have to serve them better and how we can do more to help our clients get their job done. Using these insights, we will identify where we meet their quality and service expectations and where we can improve. So, I like to say my remit is first and foremost listening to our clients and understanding their experiences across all touchpoints – from the moment a client first meets a sales executive to the many intersections we’ll have together as we grow our relationship over the years.
For example, during an internal call about a client escalation, I listened to understand the root cause of the issue. By interviewing my Fiserv colleagues, we quickly identified a process change that not only helped that client but will positively impact others as well.
Q: What are you most excited about as you settle in your new role over the coming months and what does success look like for you?
A: I am truly excited to listen to our clients, collaborate with them and my Fiserv associates and dig-in to find real, durable solutions for our broad range of clients. Success means our clients recognizing Fiserv as a quality-first organization that is focused on their success. When clients win, we win.
