In a vibrant academic environment full of opportunities, students of the Master in Analytics, Innovation and Technology (MAIT) program at INCAE Business School had the opportunity to apply their knowledge in a real project with Banco BAC Costa Rica.
This project was born thanks to an approach between BAC Costa Rica and the professor of INCAE Elena Fumagalli, who was about to start her course 'Customer Experience (CX) and Customer Value Creation', as they saw it as an excellent opportunity to combine academic excellence and business experience, designing innovative solutions to improve the customer experience.
The Service Design project, developed in conjunction with BAC's internal UX department, focused on implementing advanced methodologies such as Jobs-to-be-Done, Customer Personas and Customer Journey Mapping. These tools allowed students to identify key customer needs and propose innovative strategies to address these challenges, showing how user-centered design can transform experiences.
As part of this collaboration, the students visited the BAC Call Center in San José to better understand how the company handles customer requests through this channel. They were accompanied by BAC Costa Rica staff, who guided them and answered their queries, providing a comprehensive view of the inner workings and challenges they face in customer service.
In addition, Professor Fumagalli served as a mentor to the students during the preparation of their projects, which represented the culmination of the learning acquired throughout the course. On December 10, the results of the project were presented at the Aula Manuel Jiménez de la Guardia at INCAE, in an event that brought together students and BAC representatives. The session included a panel of judges from the BAC.
"The business exercise is enriched in approaches such as those that INCAE generates. Construction spaces between students and BAC build the vision we have ahead of us to design a better experience for our clients. We find in the exhibitions a solid formation in the field that will undoubtedly mark a benefit for the discipline."
"There are few occasions in which students have the opportunity to receive feedback on their proposals from people working in the field in which they are trained. Undoubtedly, INCAE offers that extra push so that the formation of knowledge is based on the reality of the world in which they are about to develop. It is practical exercises like this that encourage the formation of professionals with a critical sense and an integral perspective of the empathy involved in building experiences," the judges mentioned.
Recognition of Excellence
The judges evaluated innovative proposals, highlighting the level of analysis and creativity of the students. At noon, an award ceremony was held to recognize the best projects, celebrating the synergy between academic theory and its practical application.
The results of the awards were as follows:
Students from the winning groups shared their experiences about their participation in this project:
"For our group, this project represented an important challenge in our journey at INCAE, as we not only had to analyze behaviors of real corporate accounts, but also present our findings to BAC employees, representing the name of our school. It was very interesting and nourishing to soak up situations from the real world of work, and then, through our creativity and innovation, propose a roadmap of accessible solutions to improve the journey of these clients, where we could end up being ourselves in the near future. Thanks to everyone involved for making this project possible!", commented the CAE 6 Group, composed of Julio Pichling, Roberto Lacayo, Josselyn Esquivel, Abigail Pineda, Luis Jarrín, Danny Pilamunga and Laura Arguedas.
"This experience was extremely enriching both personally and professionally. First, the divergence and convergence process allowed us to identify and prioritize needs and improvements for the client in a structured way. Secondly, by placing the client as the central objective, it became evident how this approach not only directly benefits the clients, but also strengthens the organization. In addition, the interaction with real judges provided us with a valuable opportunity to improve our communication skills and learn to explain our ideas clearly and persuasively," said the CAE 7 Group, made up of Pamela Solera, Daniela Cordero, Diego Magaña, Christopher Villalobos, Raúl González, Alex Mamani and Gabriela Rivas.
Academic and Corporate Impact
The collaboration between INCAE and BAC Costa Rica not only strengthens the relationship between these institutions, but also reflects a shared commitment to innovation and the development of transformational leaders. For the students, working on a real project with a cutting-edge company such as BAC represented invaluable learning, allowing them to:
The participation of BAC's UX team reinforces its positioning as a leader in digital transformation and customer-centricity. With a clear focus on customer experience, BAC demonstrates how innovation and collaboration with academic institutions can generate significant impact.
Inspiring Future Leaders
These types of initiatives highlight the power of academic-business alliances to generate knowledge and promote innovation. Both INCAE and BAC Costa Rica continue to inspire students and strategic partners to challenge boundaries and create a customer-centric future.
The Service Design project not only highlights the excellence of the training that INCAE offers, but also BAC's vision to stay ahead in a competitive environment. Together, they demonstrate how the synergy between knowledge and practice can transform industries and improve people's lives.
