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On March 19, NCR Corp.'s president for Canada, Ranji Persad, introduced NCR's new SelfServ 20 and 30 series ATMs to a North American audience.
Speaking in Toronto, Persad said that unless businesses give customers the ability to perform their own transactions, companies face extinction.
"Overall it's all about the experience, because people manage their lives now by the ability to get service," said Bob Tramontano, NCR's vice president of marketing. "They expect to have things fulfilled the way they want them. We're a big proponent of people utilizing multiple channels. We believe people should be able to start and stop a transaction in any channel they want and complete that transaction at whatever channel they want."
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Tramontano describes the new 20 series as single-slot cash dispensers that can perform advanced functions such as bill payment, funds transfers and balance inquiries. On the 30 series, capabilities are more "extreme," he says, such as having the ability to accept 200 notes at a time and then recycle the cash that's deposited for later withdrawals.
In designing the new ATM lines, NCR uses interchangeable LCD screens across the model line. While not revolutionary, Dominic Hirsch, managing director of Surrey, England-based Retail Banking Research Ltd., says a consistent approach to the use of screens, for instance, is sensible.
"Now that may seem obvious, but that's not the way it used to be in the previous range," he said. "It tends not to happen when you release the machines at different points in time. That's a huge advantage when it comes to servicing. That's a big help."
The SelfServ lines also use a protected USB system.
"Basically, we put systems on board to prevent certain types of ATM fraud," said Robert Johnston, senior marketing manager for NCR's financial solutions group in Scotland. "There are certain types of ATM frauds we can now prevent by securing the data within the ATM. There is an encryption system that runs across the USB in the ATM."
Beyond its touted ability to self heal, NCR execs boasted the SelfServ line's use of two-sided thermal-receipt printing.
By printing on a receipt's reverse side, paper use is cut in half, and targeted advertisements that grab consumer attention can be displayed — lessening the likelihood that the receipt will merely get tossed after the ATM transaction is complete.
Either way, Tramontano says the two-sided receipt option is good for the environment.
That's all fine and good, says RBR's Hirsch, but Hirsch says doesn't see any single feature driving banks to purchase the new SelfServ ATM line; rather, the overall system is what will draw financial institutions in.
"The truth of the matter, this is a good quality, consistent range of products. It's like a car that comes out with nothing particular that stands out, but everything done quite well. That's what I would say about this range in ATMs."
Even though customers seem to like what they see in the new SelfServ machines, they still need to take their time and evaluate exactly what the machines have to offer and how well they will integrate with existing systems, he said.
David M. Kausch, a vice president at Buffalo, N.Y.-based M&T Bank, which uses ATMs from NCR and Diebold Inc., says he would complete development work before even considering an investment in the new SelfServ line.
And John Dominelli, president of Toronto's NRT Technology Corp., which places ATMs in casinos, says that while he's impressed with the SelfServ's software and management systems, those features aren't his top priority. He is more interested in integrating the cash recycling capabilities into his company's offerings.
