M2U 2.0 homepage. You like? And works in Safari too!

These past couple of weeks I had been helping to organise an Exclusive Preview of the new site for selected bloggers. The Exclusive Preview took place this past Monday at Delicious @ Marc Residence in KL.

Despite running around like a headless chicken for most of the night–I was so busy!–I had lots of fun. I managed to finally meet a lot of bloggers and friends that I’ve gotten to know through their blogs and Twitter like LiewCF, David Lian and Erna.

Maybank is my company’s client, but I’m a Maybank2u user and so here’s my take on M2U 2.0.

M2U 2.0 also refers to the shift in Maybank’s approach to their internet banking business. The current site is a big mess and that’s the result of being business focused: the website team just threw up all the content the different divisions in Maybank told them to.

M2U 2.0 is all about being customer focused. Maybank is intent on putting its users squarely in the driver’s seat for their internet banking experience. This new approach guided the revamp of the site and will be the guiding principles for the site’s future strategy.

When I joined AGENDA I was extremely impressed that Maybank actually spent money to conduct usability testing. They invested in over 350+ hours to conduct usability tests with 125 people over a 3 month period. And all this before writing a single line of code or designing how the new site would look.

With the usability results in hand, Maybank2u.com was built from the ground up to

1. Show the user the most relevant content, when they want it
2. Be a standards-compliant website (XHTML, CSS and semantic code)
3. Lay the foundation for a Web 2.0 style banking portal

I’ve built more than a few sites myself and the scope of M2U 2.0 truly boggles the mind. I have so much respect for my colleagues at AGENDA and the work they’ve put into the site.

And at the risk of sounding like a Maybank mouthpiece, I also have to give props to the people driving M2U 2.0 internally at Maybank. M2U 2.0 represents a big change for Maybank, and big changes in big companies don’t always go well. But from all the meetings I’ve endured been in and interaction with the team, I can see that the guys in e-Channels and Customer Experience get it. Of course, lots of respect to Maybank’s new CEO Datuk Wahid Omar for being forward-looking and getting behind this.

Despite all the baggage and problems that plague large companies like Maybank, I’m rooting for them. I’ve seen not only M2U 2.0, but I’ve also caught a glimpse of Maybank 2.0, and that picture is promising indeed.

At AGENDA, I’m the ‘social media guy’. I’m helping them wrap their brains around what social media means and to help build up their social media capabilities. My CEO is an early pioneer of web technology in Malaysia but he’s still learning and always wanting to improve.

Lots of people have asked why I decided to join AGENDA. Well, AGENDA gives me lots of opportunities to do social media work, with some really great clients. In this first month, I’m already working on clients like Xbox and Maybank. AGENDA is already a leader in digital media and once it incorporates social media into its portfolio, we’re pretty darn kick-ass.

Also, it turns out that I’m not such a great entrepreneur. Yes, I’m not afraid to strike it out on my own but I’m also not afraid to admit my shortcomings. Sure, I was paying my bills and I could probably also work with blue chip clients if I had continued on my path, but it would have taken much longer. AGENDA is a shortcut to my career goal I guess. Plus, I was disorganised as hell and a steady income and job security isn’t bad either…

So what happens to Buzzmedia? Well, existing clients will continue to be supported. I won’t be actively soliciting clients, but I’ll still help friends with their online marketing. In the meantime, the website will be a holding place for my upcoming book…