New revenue streams & customer loyalty key advantages of transforming the ATM experience

Auriga, a leading European software solutions supplier for the banking and payments industry, has welcomed the findings inside ATM Future Trends 2017 report*, and is urging banks to take advantage of how the study reveals how demand for ATMs is evolving among UK consumers, could generate new revenue streams and improve customer satisfaction as an integral part of an omnichannel customer service strategy.

This survey of 500 British bank customers suggests that consumers like ATMs and want them to remain part of the financial ecosystem. UK consumers rank cash as the most secure payment method (5.62 on a scale from 1 to 7) followed by paying by debit card (4.63) and credit card (4.52).

There is a very strong attachment to the ATM in how UK consumers bank with 43% of UK respondents to the survey using an ATM on a weekly basis and 63% saying it is more important to have an ATM nearby compared to just 20% for branches.

In the context of the recent dispute over the LINK network of free ATMs the report is quite clear how important non-fee cash machine withdrawals are to them. Although they think there are enough ATMs (61%), they say it is very essential (60%) to have access to a fee-free ATM. 92% of UK consumers would like all ATMs to be fee free even if it means having to go further to find one.

Beyond cash withdrawal

The report found that UK consumers would like to see a range of other services offered at ATMs. One in ten UK consumers surveyed said that the UK doesn’t have enough ATMs that can do more than just dispense cash.

When asked what other services, they would like to see available at cash points the most popular options were:

• Cash withdrawal in multiple denominations – 52%
• Bill payments – 34%
• Real time transactions (e.g. deposited funds instantly credited to the account) – 32%

The research found that currency exchange (22%) and event ticket sales (7%) were also services that customers would like to see at ATMs.

Potential for new revenue streams

There are key insights into how UK bank customers would like their ATM to provide a more customised omnichannel experience. 21% of consumers would like to see an email receipt option for their ATM transactions, while 12% would like a more personalised preference setup available at machines. 5% would even like complex transactions like loan applications and account opening available through their ATM. This provides banks with the opportunity to offer new services to clients, increase customer interaction and keep consistency across all channels.

Mark Aldred, head of UK sales, Auriga said:

“Some people consider ATMs an old-school technology, but this report shows that UK consumers value ATMs even more than access to their local branch. Banks shouldn’t ignore this stronger attachment to cash machines and explore how they and similar systems can be used to enable self-service banking both to build brand loyalty and generate new sources of revenue within a truly omnichannel offering for their customers.

This strategy does come with some challenges as too often ATMs operate in technology siloes that aren’t seamlessly integrated with other systems nor easy to manage and adapt to changing customer needs. But a new web-based ATM software solution can break down these barriers and enable a bank to now transform their ATM fleet to deliver a much richer, nimbler and personalised digital experience for both customers and the bank itself.”