SPD Bank partners Xiohoo to help seniors become more tech savvy

IT IS lights, camera, and action as the filming of TikTok videos is in progress. However, instead of your usual influencers in the spotlight, it was a group of seniors above 50 years old who were taking their shot at "stardom" on Thursday (Dec 23).

The lesson was conducted by Xiohoo, a social enterprise for tech learning, in collaboration with Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, Singapore Branch (SPD Bank).

The financial institution has - as part of its giving-back efforts - sponsored and assisted a total of 8 lessons that spanned financial literacy (teaching seniors how to safeguard themselves against financial/Internet scams) to the latest technology trends, which include TikTok.

Xu Jun, general manager of SPD Bank, Singapore Branch, said: "When Xiohoo contacted us for collaboration, we found it a really good opportunity to play our part… to help protect our elderly from falling prey to scams especially given the present prevalence of unlawful occurrences."

Co-founder of Xiohoo Adrian Teo said: "From the start of our discussion with SPD Bank, we discovered we have a common goal - to provide practical and affordable tech training to seniors. Other than the sponsorships of the classes, staff from the bank also volunteered to help clarify doubts with seniors throughout the duration of the course...

"As we progress to (becoming) a smart nation, it is essential to encourage more seniors to come on board this digital journey. The pandemic accelerated the need for digital adoption. Knowing how to use the smartphone and apps help seniors reduce social isolation as it makes it easy for them to keep up to date with the interesting news and latest Covid-related policy. Seniors also discover new topics or create photos/videos to interact and share with family and friends to stay connected socially."

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Through the sessions, which started in October and ended on Dec 23, seniors were taught how to use Singpass, TraceTogether, and banking and e-payment apps, among others. "Senior citizens are the most vulnerable to online scams due to limited knowledge and lack of exposure," Xu said.

Hence, as a financial player, the bank would be able to advise on some of the scams and help validate the callers' authenticity if financial scams involved a fake bank name, he added.

Covid threw a spanner in the works as physical lessons were not possible, and one of the key challenges was how they could be conducted effectively during the pandemic, he added.

Hence, a hybrid lesson plan was introduced, and the sessions were conducted both online and onsite, depending on the situation and regulations at that point in time.

Teo of Xiohoo - which means "to help" in Teochew - said that they were constantly faced with questions seniors had about their different smartphones. Some seniors attended the classes just for the opportunity to have them answered.

"We are glad that volunteers from SPD Bank helped with the one-to-one support to answer the questions… Social enterprises like us have been trying to solve social challenges with affordable solutions and yet at the same time, we need to constantly monitor our bottom line with a sustainable business model. Collaborating with enterprises like SPD Bank helped us reduce our operating cost and ramp up our manpower to accelerate the seniors' digital adoption."

Nelson Png, head of legal and compliance, SPD Bank, Singapore Branch, who was a staff volunteer, said: "It is always meaningful to interact with the elderly and to share with them the various digital services available to help them, and more importantly how to use the services securely and safely."

Ann Kwok, who is in her 60s, attended the TikTok session. She said she now has some knowledge of this app, and although time consuming, she will continue to practise using it.

Xu of SPD Bank, Singapore Branch, said: "I think donations are just a means to a (good) end, but what we want is also a contribution of heartfelt efforts.

"Employees gave feedback that they found the activity meaningful and were inspired to do more themselves. Doing good should not just be a means, but also a mindset."