STRATEGIC PARTNERS
Always a busy month for ATM service companies struggling to keep up with holiday shoppers, December is bound to be a bumpier ride than usual this year because of Y2K. by Ann All, editor
August 31, 1999
Mel Walter, executive vice president of the Gasper Corporation, believes that IT systems and software are ready for Y2K. He's just not sure about the people. "The technology has been upgraded. It's the human part that's not Y2K ready," said Walter, whose Dayton, Ohio-based company makes software that helps manage ATM networks. Gasper's newest product is Cash Monitor, which allows deployers to define currency needs on a per-ATM basis. Focusing on technology at the expense of operations is "like spending a trillion dollars to make a perfect airplane, but not paying any attention to the pilot," Walter added. Noting that even the savviest ATM users might be rattled by "out of service" messages as the year draws to a close, Walter said the consequences are likely to be greater than usual for service and supply problems. He urged ATM owners to concentrate extra effort on keeping their machines up and running to help instill confidence in consumers. "Keeping machines performing well, perhaps even performing above average, before Y2K hits is important," he said. Ed Bourgeois, president and chief operating officer of Automated Technology Machines Inc., is afraid that even routine problems like a paper jam could be attributed to Y2K. And he thinks the media could make the situation worse. "If the media picks up on it and blows it out of proportion, then people are going to see that and panic," Bourgeois said. "Whether that'll happen once or a thousand times, I don't know. I don't think it'll be nationwide. It'll probably be in small pockets here and there." The New Orleans ISO has about 420 ATMs in 32 states. Bourgeois has contacted banks, armored car companies and first and second line maintenance providers to make them aware that "we expect volume to double or more at certain locations." All of the companies he's notified are "taking proactive action to anticipate what we need," Bourgeois added. "We think we have prepared as best we can." In addition, ATMI is considering limiting the amount of cash an individual can withdraw in one transaction and may temporarily increase the surcharge "if we see costs increase significantly to service the ATMs," Bourgeois said, noting that more frequent armored car runs and service calls will detract from his bottom line. Without knowing exactly how consumers will react, it's difficult to anticipate what cash needs will be, said Russ Daniels, senior vice president of administration for Hunt Valley, Md.-based Dunbar Armored. He's also concerned about a possible domino effect. "Probably one of our main concerns is that ATMs hold only a limited supply of cash," Daniels said. "Minor problems can grow very quickly. If one ATM is out of cash, that puts pressure on others." The results of a Gallup survey commissioned by the Star Systems EFT network show that while about 64 percent of consumers plan to withdraw extra cash prior to New Year's Eve, 52 percent said their withdrawal will be about what they would normally need for a weekend or holiday. Apparently anticipating a run on cash, the Federal Reserve Board plans to have at least $200 billion in its vaults at year's end, about $50 billion more than usual. Also, the Fed is setting up more than 100 special cash inventory sites to back up banks around the country. "If banks plan ahead and do what they need to do, we should be able to deal with any emergencies," Daniels said.
