New cash machines allow deposits sans envelopes

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine banks are expected to replace their aging set of automated teller machines (ATM) with a new breed of equipment that allow cash deposits without an envelope and will automatically nurse itself back to life in the event of a breakdown. This is the scenario being envisioned by Ohio-based ATM manufacturer NCR Corp for the local market, having recently announced the availability of “SelfServ" family of ATMs. In a press briefing, NCR officials said the introduction of the new products is the company’s way of addressing the plight of ATM users who are hassled by offline machines and the absence of envelopes when making cash deposits. Servillano H. Batac III, country manager of NCR Corp Philippines, said said that the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) already operate 27 machines which do not require envelopes when making deposits. However, these units still belong to the previous generation of ATMs that don’t have “intelligent" capabilities. NCR’s new ATMs feature multi-function services also allow customers to use various channels, such as contactless card and mobile payment systems, for their transactions. The machines are also capable of processing check deposits without using envelopes. Local banks, he revealed, seem receptive to the idea of adopting these new intelligent machines with China Bank gaining the distinction of being the first bank in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia to purchase the new ATMs. Matthew Heap, industry marketing director at NCR Asia Pacific, said the company’s new ATM family recovers automatically from software failures without intervention and cuts down recovery time previously ranging from three to four hours, to just ten or fifteen minutes. The executive said the self-healing" capability is aided by a “watch dog" mechanism that checks on the ATMs every about ten minutes to verify that it has not broken down. “The banks can also download firmware from the Internet so their employees don’t need to go to the machines individually. They can fix them remotely," Heap said. NCR also explained that over half of ATM downtime is due to low-level maintenance tasks—often performed by branch staff—such as replacing receipt rolls and clearing cards or paper jams. But with an interactive graphic operator panels, the company said the SelfServ ATMs allows staff to fix more faults the first time and do so more quickly. The units, it added, also include two-sided thermal receipt printers that reduce the amount of paper consumed, and are equipped with dispensers that have auto-change functionality. - GMANews.TV