Ron Everett, Senior Vice President – Platform Relationship & Servicing Process Leader, Synchrony

In an interview with Invest:, Ron Everett, senior vice president of platform relationship and servicing process leader at Synchrony, discussed staying competitive in Charlotte with employee-centric culture, client-centric services, and award-winning technology. “We also have conversations with our clients to make sure that our products’ positioning stays attractive,” Everett added.

Which recent strategic developments are impacting your service platform? 

There are several key areas we are targeting within Synchrony. The first one is around accelerating customer engagement. We’re looking at different ways to cross-sell some of our products and make sure the customers understand Synchrony’s full capabilities. Our healthcare platform continues to be one of the cornerstone aspects of the business. We had a goal to double its size by 2026. We are still moving forward on that goal and feeling good about our progress. 

We recently acquired business from Sun Country Airlines, and we’ve been getting good feedback from the client. One of the bigger projects launched recently was having Walmart and OnePay return as clients. These showcase our continued presence in the traditional markets, while we look at expanding into different spaces. We also acquired Versatile Credit, which allows us to get more customers approved for credit as they’re at the merchant point of sale. These strategic advantages not only grow existing parts of our business, but also take care of customer needs.

How do you shape your priorities for the Charlotte market?

The Charlotte market is the perfect microcosm of what’s going on across the nation. On average, there are 157 people moving into Charlotte every day, and the number continues to go up. The market itself is attractive because of its cost of living, housing prices, and the weather. In North Carolina, we have access to the mountains and the beach. By having those advantages and several major banks, we also gain the benefits of talent. We continue to invest in this area since it is a bellwether of how the market is doing. I have moved back to Charlotte maybe three times, and every time I travel throughout the city, there is something new happening. 

How do you attract talent and clients in the midst of competition with other banks and the fintech industry?

Synchrony’s culture wins every time. We don’t have a lot of turnover at Synchrony. We are ranked second on Fortune’s Best Companies to Work For. Part of the reason is that we treat our employees like human beings. We listen to them and make sure we meet their needs. We also have a mission, and we continue with that mission without being distracted by all of the noise going on in other parts of this industry. We are certainly aware of the consolidation efforts, but they do not impact the way that we go to market at all. Ultimately, a client still wants to know whether we will be able to prioritize them, and we are able to position ourselves in a way that lets them know that we will. We unfortunately lost our relationship with Walmart several years ago, but we now have that relationship back with Walmart and OnePay. Part of it is because of the firm understanding that we are client-centric, as well as employee-centric. 

How does your platform prepare to support higher volume relationships?

One of the things I’ve directly worked on is making sure that we can service and scale. We have several agile teams ready and willing whenever we bring on a new client. It’s almost like a machine at this point. Our global footprint allows rapid growth as well as integration of different technologies. While it’s always good to have people supporting the servicing platform, we’re in a fast-moving technological space right now. We’re making sure that we put technology, like AI, in places where it needs to be. We’re also making sure that we have self-service channels out there. The need to support and rapidly expand our servicing platform is mitigated by the fact that we have technologies out there to help support those things. Customers these days want to do a lot more self-service than ever. We want to always be in the channels where our customers want to be, which means we have a support channel with a human aspect, as well as embracing technology to accommodate multiple generations’ lifestyle needs. 

What kinds of services currently have the highest demand?

The health and wellness space continues to grow, and we want to be in the spaces where health and wellness needs are being met. That is probably one of Synchrony’s fastest-growing sectors. That could cover anything from dental to vision, or even elective surgery. We’re there to accommodate those needs and provide attractive financing options for customers; hence, we’re putting a lot of investment in this space. 

How does Synchrony evolve to support the clients navigating macroeconomic pressures?

There are several macroeconomic pressures out there, including tariffs, interest rates, and government shutdown. We are not only supporting our clients, but also our customers on the back end. We have flexible options for our customers as they reach out to us. We would also do that if there were a natural disaster or other external disruptions. We need to be there for our customers. We also have conversations with our clients to make sure that our products’ positioning stays attractive. Our underwriting capabilities have to get customers through the door and get their needs financed. From a technological standpoint, we are currently using Prism, our award-winning tool, to get a better view of the customer’s profile and improve our approval rates.

How does Synchrony support community initiatives? 

I am passionate about our community initiatives. We continue to invest in Education as an Equalizer, which is our initiative that supports not only a person’s ability to go to school, but also individual needs for development and training. We’ve never wavered on our investment there, despite what is going on from an economic standpoint. I was able to spend some time in Washington, D.C., recently talking to students who were getting scholarships from Synchrony about the impact it would have on them. We also understand that getting the skills, not just attending a traditional college, is important, so we put our investments there, as well. 

What are your top priorities for the next few years?

Maintaining the relationships and deals we currently have is always going to be paramount. We will also always be looking at growth and attractive deals to go after. Taking care of our employees is always going to be a fundamental priority for me, and Synchrony as a whole. We will continue to listen to what they’re saying and be flexible in how we work. Whenever we meet in person, we organize the meeting in an intentional and effective way. In every location we’re in, such as India, the Philippines, and New York, we are in the top three companies to work for. That trickles down into the way we acquire clients and grow profits. We are thus able to bring great returns for our investors and build great relationships in the community. As long as we continue to make those strides, we feel confident that we will continue to be a great place to work.