It’s not every day your bank sends a message that feels like it really gets you. But that’s exactly what NAB’s Customer Brain is designed to do.

Launched in 2023, the NAB’s Customer Brain is an Artificial Intelligence powered engine that helps the bank provide simple, tailored experiences efficiently for customers.

NAB’s Chief Data & Analytics Officer Christian Nelissen said when technology is used to listen better, understand more, and anticipate a customer’s needs, it improves how they feel about their experience.

“Our ambition is to become the most client-centric company in Australia and New Zealand. NAB’s Customer Brain is a key part of that strategy, helping us deliver simple, relevant and personalised experiences at scale,” Mr Nelissen said.

“In the days long before the internet, when you’d go into the branch, the manager knew everything about you, your needs and how they could help. We know our customers still want this level of customer service. They want to feel like their bank knows them, not just their account number. And they want experiences to be consistent, whether they’re using the app, speaking to a banker over the phone or in one of our branches.

“That’s where the Brain comes in, we’re using this technology to enhance the connections with our customers whether that’s through human or digital interactions.”

Every month, the Brain helps guide more than 50 million interactions.

It’s powered  by 2000 data points to understand what matters to each customer, then uses that insight to deliver the next best action, whether that’s a helpful reminder, a timely nudge, or a moment of recognition.

In just over a year, it’s helped drive a 40% uplift in customer engagement when the Brain has nudged a customer about an action.

More than tech

NAB’s Customer Brain didn’t appear overnight. It’s the result of a clear and deliberate plan to better support customer needs.

Led by Jessica Cuthbertson, NAB’s Executive Customer Decision & Data Science “The Customer Brain was born out of the desire to use everything we know about our customers to anticipate needs. This isn’t AI just for the sake of innovation. It’s Artificial Intelligence designed to help people. To make banking simpler, smarter and more human.”

More than half of the Brain’s interactions focus on service and engagement.  “Being helpful builds trust. And trust builds loyalty,” Mrs Cuthbertson said.

NAB’s Customer Brain, powered by Pegasystems’ Customer Decision Hub, makes millions of real-time decisions daily. It has over 2,000 adaptive models and 1,200 data points powering 220 next best actions. This sophistication means it can continuously refine customer interactions based on what’s working and what’s not.

“Always-on doesn’t mean set and forget,” Mrs Cuthbertson said.  “The Brain learns over time what customers like, dislike, and adapts to their preferences, ensuring we stay relevant without overwhelming our customers.”

Cutting through complexity

NAB’s Head of Customer Decisioning Lisa Marchant has been focussed on building a best-in-class solution.

“Early on, we faced the risk of designing hundreds of different contact policies,” Mrs Marchant said.  “Instead, we stepped back, looked at the ecosystem, and standardised our approach. The result was faster delivery, consistent experiences, and a clearer path to market.

“With over 118 million mobile logins each month, we want every interaction to count. That means designing experiences that don’t just serve the most active clients, but supports every customer, every time.”

Real Impact, Real Stories

The Customer Brain is delivering measurable outcomes—enhancing customer experiences, supporting bankers, and driving business value.

• Transaction Disputes: Customers want to be kept informed on the progress of their transaction dispute. The Brain now delivers a journey of seven real-time actions to manage various stages of the process. These actions are among the highest performing, with up to 55% engagement
• Home Loan Milestones: Celebratory messages now recognise customers as they hit major milestones in paying down their home loan or reach their loan anniversary. These human moments perform strongly, with milestone-based actions outperforming standard messages by 50%
• Term Deposit Retention: Proactive prompts around term deposit expiries have resulted in approximately $92 million in retained deposits, ensuring customers stay informed and supported in their financial decisions
• Business Bank Equipment Finance: Launched in 2024, this action helps customers who are approaching the end of their lease by offering market-leading replacement options before their lease ends. It’s helping customers stay informed and prepared, with consistent engagement rates of up to 60%

While the bank has successfully scaled the solution and delivered meaningful benefits, this is just the beginning. An exciting roadmap lies ahead, with powerful propositions poised to further elevate the customer experience through the Customer Brain.