Yamaguchi Financial Group Adopts 'UPWARD' to Accelerate Sales Digital Transformation

UPWARD Inc. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; CEO Ryusuke Kaneki) announced that Yamaguchi Financial Group, Inc. (Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi; CEO Keisuke Mukunashi; hereafter YMFG) has adopted its field sales support service 'UPWARD' as part of YMFG's sales DX initiative.

YMFG is promoting sales DX centered on CRM at its three group banks: Yamaguchi Bank, Momiji Bank, and Kitakyushu Bank. By centralizing customer info, sales activities, and project data, the group aims to support sales representatives in deepening customer understanding, enhancing proposal capabilities, and creating more time for customer interaction.

With the introduction of UPWARD, YMFG will streamline field visit activities, allowing sales staff to dedicate more time to customer dialogue and problem discovery. UPWARD will support YMFG's DX efforts not only through system provision but also by ensuring operational adoption.

### Background: Deepening Customer Understanding YMFG operates primarily in Yamaguchi, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka under the purpose of 'Co-creating a prosperous future for the region.' Amid diversifying customer needs, YMFG is shifting from a 'management-centric' to a 'support-centric' sales style to focus on solving latent customer issues.

### Expected Effects of UPWARD 1. **Visualization of Field Sales Activities**: By combining visit locations with map data, the service enables data-driven sales activities that do not rely solely on individual experience. 2. **Improvement in Quality and Quantity of Customer Contact**: Standardizing and streamlining field visits will enhance the volume and quality of customer interactions, helping staff identify the next best actions for tailored follow-ups.

### Future Outlook YMFG is progressively implementing its CRM, which went live in March 2026. Looking ahead, the group plans to further evolve its sales support by leveraging accumulated data for advanced AI applications and Next Best Action (NBA) models.