ST. LOUIS - The next generation of Remote Teller Systems (RTS) could make 24-hour banking with a human being a mainstream reality.
Facilities experts agreed RTS is a more secure way to offer “after hours” service with a human instead of an ATM or Internet banking. But going to a truly 24-hour operation, as Mid Hudson Valley FCU in New York is doing (see related story, page 15), is still pretty unique.
“The newer, more robust RTS units can do more than the traditional RTS,” explained Tom Lombardo of Clayco Financial Facilities. “They can print receipts, take signatures, essentially 97% of what a traditional teller can do.”
The idea is to integrate RTS with the call center. “This is going to allow credit unions to extend their hours much more easily and more feasibly,” Lombardo suggested. “The technology is here today, and the appetite for it is growing.”
But at least one expert suggested that while RTS is a great way to offer after-hours service, he wasn’t convinced that going to full 24-hour service via RTS makes sense for most credit unions. “What’s the most common financial need at 2 a.m.–cash withdrawals,” said Kevin Blair of NewGround. “People are very accepting of just going to an ATM for that.” (c) 2008 The Credit Union Journal and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.cujournal.com http://www.sourcemedia.com
