Low interest rates and digitization , as a result of changes in user habits, which has also accelerated with the pandemic, have turned the banking business upside down, reducing offices and jobs . The entire banking sector is in full transformation.
As a sample, Banc Sabadell has just announced in its new strategic plan that it foresees new adjustments, which will include a reduction in the workforce, and is turning to digitization and BBVA or CaixaBank are negotiating separate employment regulation files ( ere ), after having completely modified the strategy of offices and branches .
In this context, after the absorption of Bankia, CaixaBank has initiated a strategy to become an omnichannel entity by installing a new technological platform for ATMs, ATMNow, which aims to match these devices in which around 1.5 millions of operations of all kinds and that replaced a good part of the operations in bank branches, those used by customers on mobile phones or on computers and tablets .
Ultimately, the goal is “to offer the same operations and image at ATMs as through CaixaBankNow, the ‘online’ banking channel accessible by web and mobile,” according to bank sources.
As if the mobile phone were like the ATM, this like the ‘smartphone’ and this, in turn, like the appearance of the service on the tablet or computer. The user should hardly notice any difference when using digital services regardless of the device used. That is the goal.
By the end of July, a total of 9,000 network devices will have been adapted throughout Spain
The deployment of ATMNow has started with the installation of the platform in 50 ATMs located in key points of Barcelona . Over the next few days, the process will be extended to the rest of Spain, ending at the end of July at more than 9,000 ATMs adapted from the CaixaBank network, according to the banking group.
Omnichannel strategy
This initiative will make the entity ” the first fully omnichannel bank in the world, capable of offering the same customer experience in all its digital channels,” say the same sources. The deployment of this platform will end in the second half of the year with its incorporation into the entire network of ATMs from Bankia .
In addition to standardizing navigation styles and flows to unify the user experience with web and mobile channels, ATMNow provides ATMs with new services and functionalities . Among other innovations, for example, it improves the cash withdrawal process, which is reduced to just two steps . It also highlights the incorporation of customization technology for the options menu so that each user has, on the first screen, direct access to their most common operations and options.
According to sources from the entity, the objective of the implementation of the new technological platform is to improve the user experience at ATMs. Throughout the design and development process ” customers of different age ranges have participated to take into account their needs and impressions. The main ATM services have been redesigned to achieve more intuitive and simple processes that offer the user a faster experience. easy and simple “.