BT Global Banking & Financial Markets. The Agile Bank. Flexing for the future.

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1 BT Global Banking & Financial Markets The Agile Bank. Flexing for the future.

2 The future of the bank branch has been hotly debated for many years, yet it still plays a vital role in the multichannel mix. Customers continue to visit branches to seek help and advice and carry out routine transactions. But the question facing banks today is how to maintain their branch estate profitably in a landscape where technology, regulation, payments and customer behaviour are evolving at such a pace that the future remains unpredictable. Should bank branches be fully automated self-service outlets, brand flagships, or become pop up versions of their former selves, ready to serve customers when and where needed? BT s relaunched Agile Bank demonstrates how banks can build on the foundations of IP networks, wireless technologies and high speed broadband to create a branch and back office architecture that can flex and adapt to evolving market conditions and changing customer needs. It showcases a wide range of innovations in the context of the high street, the branch, the back office and the home.

3 Evolving the branch Technology has come a long way since the first BT Agile Bank opened in Mobile phones have become ubiquitous and tablet computers are opening up new opportunities for always-on connectivity. Wireless technologies like radio frequency identification (RFID) and Near Field Communications (NFC) mean banks can now reach out to customers outside the branch and serve them in all-new ways. Interactive screens in high street locations might, for example, headline the latest product offers and information when and where customers need it - at car showrooms or in the estate agent s window for those looking to finance a new car or house purchase. Information on relevant products and services might even be beamed directly to customers as they pass, thanks to location specific services that detect information on the chip of their mobile phone. Self-service technologies have also moved on beyond the ATM. Some of the automated and interactive technologies showcased at the Agile Bank remove much of the repetitive work associated with routine banking transactions, freeing up branch staff to emerge from behind their glass screens and serve customers in newly proactive ways. The old boundaries between the branch, the contact centre and the internet are blurring, too. Multimedia communications can connect customers instantly to the contact centre or internet from the high street, the branch or their own home. Video transmitted on ultra-fast IP networks gives customers access to remote advisors many miles away and as they have never seen them before in high definition TelePresence that enables them to talk face-to-face to product specialists from the branch or the comfort of their own homes. Even branch staff can become contact centre agents as all the applications and data they need to deliver the single customer view can be downloaded to their desktops from a proprietary or hosted data centre. 3

4 Despite reports of its imminent demise and ongoing closures and mergers, the bank branch still plays a vital role in the multi-channel mix. Customers continue to visit bank branches to carry out routine transactions like paying in cheques and to seek help and advice. But the question facing banks today is how to maintain their branch estate profitably in a landscape where technology, regulation, payments and customer behaviour are evolving at such a pace that the future remains unpredictable. Should branches become fully automated self-service outlets, brand flagships, or cease to have a permanent footprint at all, becoming pop up or even virtual versions of their former selves, ready to serve customers when and where needed? The technology to realise all these scenarios exists right here right now, but few banks are implementing or making the most of it. BT s Agile Bank demonstrates how banks can transform the customer experience today, consistently across all channels. Welcome to the branch of the future.

5 The high street Banks have a significant investment in the bricks and mortar of their branches, but they are not always located in areas of highest footfall. They can increase their presence in the high street and take advantage of selling opportunities in areas like shopping malls and other retail outlets where customers need them most. BT payphone/atm with digital interactive poster Banks can take advantage of the connectivity offered by BT s existing payphones to install self-service equipment like ATMs, establishing visibility for the bank in high street locations where they may not already have a presence. By touching their NFC- enabled mobile phone to hotspots on the interactive poster on the outside of the kiosk, passers-by can be routed directly to the bank website where they can sign up for products or request further information. Interactive through glass touch screen If passers-by see a product that interests them advertised on the screen, they tap it and are prompted to enter their mobile number. When they hit the Talk button, their mobile phone rings and they are put through to a customer service agent. They can also text their number to the contact centre to ask an agent to get in touch with them. The screen can be situated in the branch window or elsewhere in the high street.

6 The branch With security built into the fabric of the branch, the traditional glass screens that separate tellers from customers can come down and bank staff can move around the lobby to proactively assist customers. Demographic sensing digital signage Banks often struggle to keep the signage in their windows up to date and consistent across all branches. This signage is equipped with a camera that monitors the facial biometrics of passers-by and analyses their demographic. The products displayed on the signage are streamed from a central point and can be modified in a matter of minutes to target the specific demographic. The demographic information can be stored for analysis by the marketing team. When customers tap the screen to indicate their area of interest they are routed instantly to more product information and options. Security monitoring As the customer enters the branch their identity is automatically checked against customer records and/or databases of known criminals by a camera equipped with facial biometric recognition. The system operates unobtrusively and can recognise faces even at an angle of degrees.

7 The branch Queue management Customers tap the screen of the automated queue manager to indicate the nature of their enquiry. They are issued with a ticket so that bank staff are alerted to their presence and are able to prioritise customers and ensure an appropriately qualified person is available to deal with their queries. Coffee shop As the branch becomes more open plan, branch staff can interact with customers in a less formal way, possibly even in this coffee shop where customers can take advantage of free broadband to conduct banking transactions or browse through the bank s electronic brochures. Customers hold their credit, debit or prepaid cards on their mobile phone, so they simply tap their NFC-enabled phone to a special EPOS terminal to make a contactless payment for their purchases.

8 The branch Surface teller and palm vein reader The counter is replaced by a surface teller where bank staff and customers can discuss products and services on the electronic display, moving the brochures back and forth to each other across the surface as they talk. By touching their NFC-enabled mobile to the surface customers can download the brochures on to their phone. The surface teller is linked to a palm vein biometric reader which authenticates the customer s identity for transactions like large cash withdrawals. Cash is dispensed automatically at the cash recycler in the lobby area. Customers credit/debit cards are held on their mobile phone, so touching the NFC-enabled phone to the surface also verifies the PIN number for smaller cash withdrawals. Cash recycler Customers are increasingly looking to self-serve for routine transactions like cash withdrawal. This cash recycler allows them to pay in and draw out banknotes. The recycler is equipped with an automatic fraud detection device and notes are stored in a burglar-proof vault.

9 The branch TelePresence remote advisor In an increasingly complex regulatory environment it is not always possible to provide in-depth expertise in every branch. In this quiet VIP area customers can discuss topics like mortgage advice with a remote advisor on a high definition plasma TelePresence screen. The customer and advisor co-browse on a surface teller and the customer can sign forms on a handheld ipad on to which the advisor can push the forms under discussion. With ultrafast broadband, customers can also consult remote advisors from their laptops at home using a relatively unsophisticated USB webcam. Many smart phones and tablet computers now include video applications which will enable customers to conduct conversations with remote advisors even when they re on the move. Remote advisor kiosk Customers can use this self-service kiosk to view banking products. If they want more advice on a product or service they click a video conference button which locates an available advisor and enables a TelePresence video call using the unit s inbuilt webcam.

10 The back office As internet and self-service banking grow in popularity, calls to contact centres are becoming increasingly complex. Intelligent networks can allow calls to be routed to anybody who can help solve a customer s problem - be they at the branch, the contact centre or at home. The contact centre This Next Generation Contact Centre is virtualised with agents sitting at thin client desks and applications hosted at a client s own data centre or hosted facility. Agents can be redeployed according to peaks and troughs in demand, and the contact centre is equipped with multimedia that enables agents to handle web chat, and video communications as well as traditional calls. The digital signage can be updated at a moment s notice to send out coordinated messaging and news briefings to all agents simultaneously. The trading desk A BT trading turret demonstrates multimedia in action. Click to call functionality and presence capability allow the trader to choose the best conversational path whether IM, , voice or streamed video for collaboration and efficient execution. Avaya Message Drop and Blast allow traders to keep all clients up to date with the latest market developments by recording a single message that is distributed instantly to the entire customer base.

11 Technical data BT s Agile Bank is vendor-agnostic and is designed to showcase a range of best-of-breed technologies: The high street BT payphone kiosk and ATM Digital interactive poster with hotspot Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled mobile phone Interactive through glass touch screen BT Ribbit voice applications The branch Facial biometric recognition Self-service queue manager Demographic sensing digital signage Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled mobile phone Contactless payment EPOS terminal Surface teller computer Palm vein biometric reader Cash recycler TelePresence remote advisor Tablet computer Self-service TelePresence kiosk The back office BT Next Generation Contact Centre Cisco multimedia contact centre Avaya multimedia contact centre Unified communications Digital signage/wall boards BT ITS Netrix trading turret Multimedia trading Presence technology Message drop and blast Virtual data centre Virtual desktop infrastructure BT acknowledges the assistance of the technology partners who have helped to create the Agile Bank including: Cisco/Tandberg, Avaya, NCR, Cognitec, Proxama, Microsoft, Q-matic, Symon Dacon, TruMedia, Fujitsu, Talaris, Apple, VMWare, For more information about BT s Agile Bank please contact your BT account manager or visit

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