Ellen Durden
GIBSONIA,PA
Summary
Dynamic human-centric leader with extensive leadership and management experience that includes strategic planning and daily operations throughout various lines of business within Retail Banking. Demonstrated competencies in tackling large initiatives and business problems through effective planning, organization, communication, and building high performing teams.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
Work History
Strategy & Planning Director
PNC Bank, National Association
Pittsburgh, PA
02.2024 - 07.2024
- Led a team of project and program managers focused on strengthening the organization's technology risk management culture partnering closely with executive and senior leaders
- Insured compliance with Uniform Rating System for Information Technology standards and Federal Financial Institutions Exam Council guidance
- Created performance dashboards presented to the Executive Leadership Team for socialization with the Board of Directors, and led routine management meetings to review results and escalate concerns.
Customer Service and Support Operations Director
PNC Bank, National Association
Pittsburgh, PA
08.2022 - 02.2024
- Inspired strong focus on customer and employee satisfaction with targeted activities seeking direct frontline employee feedback in virtual town halls, focus groups, and one-on-one engagements
- Implemented comprehensive recognition programs for employees who exceeded customer experience outcomes
- Set and communicated clear expectations for managers to execute plans to achieve sales and service goals by practicing effective coaching models and driving employee accountability
- Led the daily operation of an engaged Customer Care Center workforce consisting of 4,800+ remote and outsourced employees supporting clients by phone and through digital channels, delivering exceptional service level performance, answering an average of 2.5 million customer calls within 20 seconds and answering more than 50,000 digital interactions monthly
- Executed long-term operational plans that reduced annual expenses by more than $13MM through adjusting hours of operation and developing an offshore outsourcing strategy.
Business Experience Planning & Administration Director
PNC Bank, National Association
Pittsburgh, PA
07.2018 - 08.2022
- Led a multi-functional team with responsibilities including: workforce management, financial planning, mass affluent sales & service strategy, talent & location strategy, vendor management, reporting and analytics, project management, and product relationship management for the Customer Care Center
- Managed integration planning in the Customer Care Center for BBVA, adding more than 2 million customers to the Retail Bank's portfolio, which was achieved by implementing an offshore staffing strategy in 2021 and partnering with various lines of business to support new client onboarding
- Empowered the strategy and planning team to build a location and virtual workforce strategy with 40%+ of the staff working fully remote in 2019, which positioned the team to move its entire workforce home in less than two weeks at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic
- The execution of the virtual workforce strategy allowed the Customer Care Center employees to effectively support clients with the Paycheck Protection Program.
Customer Experience Manager
PNC Bank, National Association
Pittsburgh, PA
01.2016 - 07.2018
- Built a team that supported the transition from Gallup's Human Sigma customer and employee engagement model to a net promoter engagement model, requiring extensive employee change management
- Created an employee continuous improvement program that incentivized employees to provide feedback on how to remove customer experience barriers, which received more than 2,000 employee submissions for improvement in the first year of the program
- Redesigned the customer problem resolution experience for 200 escalation employees to ensure rapid feedback for systemic improvements to address customer complaints.
Customer Experience Manager
PNC Bank, National Association
Pittsburgh, PA
01.2015 - 01.2016
- Created a roadmap to modernize customer communication to reduce customer confusion and frustration by establishing content standards and revising complex banking concepts with simpler messaging for customers
- Established a closed loop feedback process promoting customer focus and teamwork by highlighting the impact Retail Bank Operations employees have on customer experience as well as their call center and branch colleagues.
Enterprise Escalation Group Leader
PNC Bank, National Association
Pittsburgh, PA
10.2011 - 01.2015
- Led a high performing group of 250 escalation specialists and managers responsible for handling customer issues received from regulatory agencies, executives, and senior managers
- Reported and highlighted customer pain points to Customer Advocacy Team and Senior Management to support resource prioritization to address servicing gaps and reduce escalations
- Coordinated privacy breach response plans including customer and agency notifications
- Supported the acquisition and integration of Royal Bank of Canada's (RBC) executive response team to ensure regulatory compliance (CFPB and OCC) with complaint management
- Designed the escalation process during the creation of the Enterprise Customer Complaint Program following the formation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which included technology enhancements, job profile changes, organizational structure changes, creation of training and new policies and procedures.
Executive Client Relations Team Leader
PNC Bank, National Association
Pittsburgh, PA
08.2009 - 10.2011
- Led a team of 17 team members located across three call center sites (Pittsburgh, PA, Kalamazoo, MI, and Columbus, OH) through the National City and PNC integration to combine Executive Complaint teams
- Developed policies and procedures for handling complaints through multiple entry points across the organization including Executive Offices, Corporate Communications, e-Business, and Bank Regulators
- Established service levels customized by complaint types and entry point into the company
- Created an online resource page specifically for the team and implemented the use of a 'letter library' through SharePoint to streamline processes
- Redesigned the team's operating model to gain efficiencies and to improve employee engagement
- This included the implementation of work at home opportunities and defining a new role for a workflow coordinator within the team.
Executive Client Relations Specialist
PNC Bank, National Association
Pittsburgh, PA
06.2008 - 08.2009
- Repaired client relationships to minimize negative impact on account retention and capitalized on opportunities to grow new and existing business relationships through problem resolution
- Tracked and identified issues that have negative customer impact to drive changes to policies and procedures by collaborating with several business units through root cause resolution
- Intervened in sensitive issues that presented eminent financial or reputational risk to the bank and/or its customers.
Manager/Senior Personal Banker Officer
Bank of America
Norfolk, VA
03.2005 - 04.2008
- Customized financial products and services for personal and business customers while exceeding sales and customer satisfaction goals
- Referred clients to partnering segments within the banks, such as merchant services, business banking, private banking, and investment services to provide a full-service financial experience
- Established, developed, retained, and deepened financial relationships with external clients in the community and with internal partners of the bank
- Supported the mortgage origination process by completing and fulfilling multiple levels of processing for purchase and refinance transactions.
Education
Masters of Business Administration -
University of Phoenix
PHOENIX, AZBachelors of Science, Business Management -
University of Phoenix
PHOENIX, AZBusiness of Banking School Certificate -
American Bankers' Association
PITTSBURGH, PASkills
- Problem Resolution
- Change Leadership
- Process Optimization
- Strategic Planning
- Project & Program Management
- Relationship Building
- Management Discipline
- Diversity & Inclusion
Awards
- PNC Summit Honoree, 2019 & 2022 - Recognition for senior leaders who deliver differentiated results in customer and employee experience and business performance
- PNC Bank's Working Parent of the Year, 2018 - Featured in Working Parents' Magazine in recognition of Top 100 companies who support working parents
- Gallup Great Workplace Award, 2010, 2012, 2017
- Performance Award Nominee & Finalist, 2011 & 2012
Community Involvement
- United Way - Women's Leadership Council, PITTSBURGH, PA
- March of Dimes - Walk for Babies, PITTSBURGH, PA
- Grow up Great - PNC Philanthropic Program, PITTSBURGH, PA
Timeline
Strategy & Planning Director
PNC Bank, National Association
02.2024 - 07.2024
Customer Service and Support Operations Director
PNC Bank, National Association
08.2022 - 02.2024
Business Experience Planning & Administration Director
PNC Bank, National Association
07.2018 - 08.2022
Customer Experience Manager
PNC Bank, National Association
01.2016 - 07.2018
Customer Experience Manager
PNC Bank, National Association
01.2015 - 01.2016
Enterprise Escalation Group Leader
PNC Bank, National Association
10.2011 - 01.2015
Executive Client Relations Team Leader
PNC Bank, National Association
08.2009 - 10.2011
Executive Client Relations Specialist
PNC Bank, National Association
06.2008 - 08.2009
Manager/Senior Personal Banker Officer
Bank of America
03.2005 - 04.2008
Masters of Business Administration -
University of Phoenix
Bachelors of Science, Business Management -
University of Phoenix
Business of Banking School Certificate -
American Bankers' Association