Having sold its banking arm 10 years ago, the UK Post Office has engaged in a joint venture to offer a whole range of financial services products to the UK market, Parveen Bansal reports.

Whichever channel banks choose to concentrate on, they must not lose sight of their customers’ needs and preferences. That is why service levels must be maintained, whether in-branch or at offshore call centres, says Parveen Bansal.

Technology can keep banks one step ahead of the criminals at the ATM and ensure that customers continue to view the service as a safe and secure way of accessing their funds, says Jeff Lutz of NCR.

Plans to ensure business continuity in the event of a disaster are becoming an essential requirement for banks and some are considering extending their plans to cover self-service systems, like ATMs. Wendy Atkins reports.

Deposit automation will be the most important ATM application since cash dispensing, say Morten Jorgensen and Dominic Hirsch of Retail Banking Research. It offers potential benefits for banks and their customers, and will spread rapidly in the new self-service culture.

The bank branch is undergoing another transformation as the emphasis shifts further towards self-service offerings, using ATMs, smart ATMs and online kiosks. Rekha Menon looks at progress.

The way to enhance a service is not simply to ‘throw technology at it’ but to develop innovative ways to incorporate the consumers needs into any offering, says Parveen Bansal.

The effectiveness of the ATM network is increasingly based upon the software solutions that are devised to combat any problems and therefore reduce downtime, says Keith Taylor.