'Banks Are Investing In Customer-Facing Technologies Despite Crisis'

HDFC bank recently undertook a joint initiative with NCR to make its ATMs faster by embedding NCR’s Aptra eMarketing software into the same. Biztech2.0 spoke to Pradeep Sen, managing director, NCR Corporation, India, to see how the company’s software makes ATMs faster.

What benefits can banks in general reap from faster ATMs and how will your software help HDFC Bank?

NCR’s Aptra eMarketing software offers the customers of various banks the option of personalising their favourite transaction on the ATM, which as per company claims reduces transaction time by nearly 40 percent. The ATM channel has been identified as the most preferred banking channel for customers across the globe and the same is reaffirmed in the case of HDFC Bank. Of all the transactions that are recorded by the bank, 84 percent are carried out through direct banking channels.

Targeted messaging service is yet another important feature of this software, which when integrated with HDFC Bank’s CRM technology and analytics capability, will allow the bank to filter each customer’s profile and offer them products and solutions that are relevant to them. This service will be non-intrusive as a bank’s representative will only reach out to the customer if they evince interest in a particular product or service. Thus, HDFC Bank will be able to better understand the needs of its customers and offer them products and services most appropriate for them.

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How does Aptra eMarketing work?

APTRA eMarketing is a customisation and CRM software with in-built ‘Personalisation’ and ‘Targeted Messaging’ capabilities. This software can be easily integrated with the existing back-end and front-end interface system of a bank’s ATM network. NCR will be deploying the APTRA eMarketing software across all HDFC Bank ATMs in the country in a phased manner. Successful roll outs have already been completed across the bank’s ATMs in Pune, Nashik and Ahmednagar.

How would you convince the CIOs of various banks to deploy Aptra eMarketing?

NCR’s ‘Queue Frustration Survey’ undertaken by AC Nielsen last year revealed that 84 percent of respondents are losing their patience with queuing. Most significantly, according to the survey, 26 percent of the respondents showed readiness to switch to another service provider offering better self-service solutions.

Global trends have shown that ATMs have emerged as the most frequently accessed banking channel for meeting banking needs. The number of ATMs that are available in India are not sufficient to provide quick and easy access to the entire banked population of India, as a result of which long queues are witnessed outside ATMs.

NCR’s APTRA eMarketing software can help banks combat this problem as the software offers customers the option of personalising their favourite transaction on the ATM, thereby reducing transaction time by nearly 40 percent. APTRA eMarketing software is cost effective as well and can be easily integrated with the existing back-end and front-end interface system of a bank’s direct banking channels.

Aptra eMarketing can, thus, help banks to not only retain customers but also enhance their satisfaction.

How do you view such IT investments in times of recession?

If you look at the last three quarters of this year, banks have continued to invest in customer-facing technologies that improve the consumer experience and increase loyalty.

This technology also enables operational efficiencies and improvements in customer service.

We believe that the following factors will remain significant in 2009.

- Core consumer deposits growth and retention remain the highest priority for retail banks
- Retention, acquisition, customer service, and operational efficiency will garner the lion’s share of capex and opex in 2009.
- Self-service and consumer-facing technologies that enable the above will remain high on technology spending lists for global banks.