Fingerprint ID System Shipped Down Under
SUNNYVALE, Calif. - Identix Inc. said it has made the first shipment of its Portable Fingerscan devices to a company in Melbourne, Australia.
The fingerprint identification systems, portable versions of the company's TouchLock II product, will be used by employees of Armaguard, a division of Mayne Nickless Ltd., when servicing automated teller machines.
Armaguard bought 100 of the devices, which Identix is selling as a result of its acquisition of Fingerscan in March.
The Portable Fingerscan, which was well received in demonstrations in May at the Cardtech/Securtech conference in Atlanta, is seen as a step toward mass deployment of biometric identification technology.
"We've discovered that the Portable Fingerscan is even more cost- effective" than on-site models Armaguard has been using for three years, said Robert Bruce, the company's Australian national security manager. "It's perfect for our operations ... The Portable Fingerscan will make it easier for us to continue our outreach." AT&T Web Service Would Bring Call from Sales Rep
PARSIPPANY, N.J. - AT&T announced a trial service that will allow Internet users browsing the World Wide Web to click on a button and receive a phone call from a customer service agent.
Participating companies will be able to illustrate products or services by sending specific images over the Web to a customer's computer screen. Called Instant Answers, the service runs on existing Internet software. A second phone or computer line is required to talk on the phone and view Web pages at the same time.
Four merchants on the Internet will participate in the AT&T trial starting in October. AT&T officials hope that the service will help raise the comfort level of doing business on the Internet. They plan a national rollout at the start of next year.
"One of the complaints about using the Web is that it is not a particularly personal service," said David Nagel, president of AT&T Labs. "The human touch - the ability to talk to a person - is notably missing." Chrysler Unit to Use CCN Credit Package
ATLANTA - CCN Group said Chrysler Financial Corp. has decided to use CCN's Portfolio Management Package to improve debt collection, recoveries, and overall customer service.
The package consists of behavioral scoring models, consulting services, and software designed to control delinquencies and bad debt while reducing collection costs and improving productivity.
Other CCN clients have been able to reduce early delinquency rates by 24% and increase dollars collected by 25%, said Robert Fite, vice president of business development.
Tom Hespe, Chrysler Financial's director of retail risk, said the company "needed a solution tailored specifically to our needs due to the complexity and diversity in our product lines and accounts receivable systems." Marketer Aims to Help Banks Through Mergers
NEW YORK - Harte-Hanks Direct Marketing has formed a mergers and acquisitions group.
The new group is designed to help banks manage their data bases and retain customers during mergers.
A unit of Harte-Hanks Communications of San Antonio, Texas, the marketing component has participated in more than 100 bank mergers.
The mergers and acquisitions group will offer services such as merging of marketing data bases, segmenting customer bases, and assisting in Community Reinvestment Act compliance. Mellon Chooses Exec For Cash Management
PITTSBURGH - Mellon Bank Corp. has named Michael Anderson as marketing director for its global cash management unit.
Mr. Anderson is responsible for strategic planning, new product development, emerging payment systems, communications, and market management for the unit.
He had previously been market manager for Mellon's utility industry group, which specialized in providing cash-management services for utilities.
