Business & Tech

Interactive Video Tellers Coming to Dollar Bank

The bank's new services will debut this spring at its Virginia Manor branch.

Dollar Bank in Virginia Manor will have a new addition to its ATM this spring. 

The bank announced plans Tuesday to introduce new video teller services, at both walk-up and drive-thru ATMs, into the Pittsburgh market.

APTRA Interactive Teller provides banking customers with a convenient yet personal alternative to a live teller, as stated in a release.

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Customers will now be able to do their banking at non-traditional times or experience faster in-branch banking access at busy times of the day by accessing a live, remote teller via a video connection through an ATM machine.

Dollar Bank is working with NCR Corporation and uGenius Technology, LLC, a Utah-based pioneer in video banking solutions.

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uGenius and NCR collaborated in 2011 to build the first ATM that lets a consumer talk and bank with a live, remote teller, letting branches stay open longer.

“We have been evaluating this technology and now believe the video teller service can significantly improve the delivery of service for our customers,” said president and chief executive officer, Robert Oeler, in a statement. “Dollar has a long history of using technology to benefit the customer experience. We are excited to be the first bank to introduce video teller services to the Pittsburgh region."

Dollar will deploy NCR APTRA Interactive Teller using uGenius’ video banking technology, giving customers a choice to conduct teller transactions with the assistance of a live, remote video teller—or they can use the NCR SelfServ solution for traditional ATM transactions.

The bank will utilize a concierge approach to introduce this service to its customers. 

“We will introduce this new, convenient banking service to our customers by having a branch employee show them how the remote teller can be used for their daily banking transactions," said Jim McQuade, senior vice president of retail banking. "Using APTRA Interactive Teller is really no different from a service standpoint than using a regular teller, and by adding extended evening and weekend hours of operation Dollar will be more convenient for our customers."

"The branch experience is critical to a bank’s brand and its business performance, and technology can help improve that experience,” said Michael O’Laughlin, senior vice president, NCR Financial Services. “Dollar Bank is one of the first of what I expect to be many innovative financial institutions to recognize how APTRA Interactive Teller can help them efficiently bring more services and a better experience to their customers—without losing that human touch.”

APTRA Interactive Teller lets financial institutions offer access to teller services during non-traditional banking hours, build new small-footprint branches and provide full teller services in areas not served by branches, all while taking advantage of the advanced features of NCR ATMs such as intelligent deposit, bill pay, and new account and loan initiation.

“Financial institution branches have changed very little in the past several decades—from simply changing where the teller sits using pneumatic tubes to transport pieces of paper just a few feet away," said uGenius Technology President Jed Taylor. "Today financial institutions have a great opportunity to break away from old thinking and use video teller technology to transform their retail banking business, economically increase their distribution, reduce costs and delight customers.

"We’re excited about the role of video banking in the evolution of the bank branch, and we believe our strategic partnership with NCR and introduction of this exciting service to Dollar Bank customers will help us prove the value of this technology to financial institutions around the world.”


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