On-Line Banking: Companies Team Up to Blend Voice Response, PC Banking

Syntellect Inc., a provider of interactive voice-response technology, and the home banking software company Corillian Corp. are entering an alliance that aims to break down the technological barriers that today separate banks' delivery systems.

The link will let a financial institution offer home banking and bill payment services over both the telephone and the Internet withhout having to build cumbersome connections between back-end systems.

"This is a prime example of integrating two delivery products, designed with different business logic, to a common platform," said Ted Spooner, chairman and chief executive officer of Corillian, which is based in Beaverton, Ore.

Without the commonality, financial institutions deploying on-line banking and telephone banking systems "didn't have the opportunity to integrate them against a single bill-payment data base," Mr. Spooner said.

"This alliance will open the doors for our customers who want to integrate their existing IVR (interactive voice response) architecture with a leading Internet banking platform," said Larry Bradner, chief executive officer of Syntellect, based in Atlanta.

Such a system, for example, would allow a consumer to add an on-line payee using the Internet and later make a payment over the telephone.

"Telephone and Internet banking are doing the same thing, so why are they on totally separate systems?" said Roger L. Reece, Syntellect's vice president of marketing.