Adding value through innovative software solutions

The bank recently undertook to migrate their ATM network from the legacy OS/2 platform to new generation Windows XP. By changing to Windows XP, the bank had the following as objectives: A smooth migration from the obsolete OS/2 operating system; the ability to move from legacy ATM messaging protocol 912 to a financial oriented protocol ISO 8583; to update the look and feel of the self-service user interface. This was in terms of developing a modern appearance and also the improvement of the usability and ergonomics. It also provided a personalised interface to customers using the self-service channel, thus enabling customers to be presented with individualised products and services rather than generic ones. It also introduced web banking functionality in the self-service Channel.

Why the bank migrated to Windows XP

A number of issues were addressed by migrating from OS/2 to Windows XP. These are as follows: Windows XP enables the use of browser presentation systems, thereby facilitating dynamic user interfaces that can be personalized to an individual; the open standards XFS layer is available on Windows XP, which allows the bank to become independent of hardware vendor; a rich client application can be provided, which processes business rules on the ATM processor itself, which enables a migration to a more modern three-tier service-oriented network architecture.

Improved usability

Self-service devices present a unique challenge to user interface design. Input is limited to touch screen or function keys, and the interface must be useable by virtually the entire population, which is very diverse in South Africa. The challenge for Absolute Systems was to develop a solution, which would address the needs of both the skilled and semi-skilled customer base.
At present there are no global standards for self-service iconography, forcing Standard Bank to engage a user interface specialist company, Aqua Online, to perform the design and testing of the new screen iconography.

We addressed reducing input errors by evaluating business rules on the terminal itself. Errors such as insufficient funds, exceeding daily limits, selecting invalid operations on certain account types, and selecting withdrawal amounts that cannot be fulfilled with the current denominations were all addressed in the system. We also moved to a more graphical interface through the use of iconography rather than text, which becomes unwieldy in multi-lingual environments. Iconography was used to enable semi-skilled customers to interact intuitively with the ATM rather than follow textual prompts. We also look at how services are only presented if they can be fulfilled on the self-service terminal. For example, if the printer is not available, envelope deposits are removed from the list of available transactions since an envelope deposit requires a printed slip to be included in the envelope.

Personalising the self-service interface not only improves the usability of the channel, but it provides a better relationship with the customer. As customers migrate to electronic banking channels, so the bank must provide a high level of personalisation to ensure customers continue to experience a sense of relationship with the bank. Central to the concept of personalisation is the customer profile. On card insertion, the customer profile is retrieved from the host system. This customer profile contains customer related information such as products, account balances, daily withdrawal limits and amounts, etc.
The terminal then constructs a set of applicable customer functions based on the customer’s profile, the capabilities of the terminal the customer is using, and the business rules associated with each of the products in the customer’s profile. Products are presented to the customer based on the customer specific narrative and hence the system becomes specific to that particular customer.

Web banking functionality

Standard Bank is narrowing the gap between Web Banking and Self-Service. The cash network will provide routine transactional services, whilst the non-cash network will provide account management services such as beneficiary maintenance, statement printing, product applications, etc. The non-cash network utilizes a terminal with a touch screen, and a QWERTY keyboard, making it possible to provide a rich set of customer related query and transactional services. It has become clear that no single delivery channel can reach all customers at all times. The requirement is for banks to provide a reach set of services through multiple touch-points enabling their customers to interact with the bank at their convenience. “We are delighted with the results as we have enabled our under banked customers as well as meeting the needs of our high-end customers,” said Tumi Monale, Director Direct Banking at Standard Bank.