F5.5G Leap-forward Development of Broadband in Africa The Africa Broadband Forum 2024 (BBAF 2024) was successfully held in Cape Town, South Africa recently, under…
Four things banks should let go of in 2022
In 2008, Steve Jobs pulled a CD-less MacBook Air out of a brown paper bag signaling the beginning of the end for CD’s.
This has happened with many other devices, such as the floppy disc in Japan this month where the digital minister declared an end them-war on floppy disks and other retro tech used by the country’s bureaucrats.
It’s 2022 and CD’s are still relevant, with some cars still produced with a CD-slot.
Why? Let’s just say it will take time and newer models have introduced better options.
Back to the main gist of things.
The four things banks should flush down the toilet at the end of 2022 are:
Headphone jack slot
The first one to go is the headphone jack slot at ATM’s.
The earphone symbol designates the location of the earphone jack at ATM’s.
The universal earphone jack will accommodate all standard earphones.
I’m not sure who wants to put on headphones or earphones at an outside ATM in South Africa. If there is, let us know how it went, we’d love for you to reach out.
Some ATM’s outside out country provide enhanced ATM access for it’s clients who are blind or have low vision.
Banks in other countries provide voice instructions while customers perform their ATM transactions.
This has in most parts been the reason for the earphone jack slot.
While bank branches are still around, the audio jack can go.
It is more safer for a person with low vision to be assisted inside the banks branch than to have them put on earphones in a busy mall only to withdraw cash.
It’s just not safe.
The headphone jack can go.
Paper
Most banks have your email/s, postal, cell number and street address to communicate with you.
Most notices are sent via email or sms.
With the addition of numerous social media channels to select from, we think we can afford to give the trees a break.
Paperless banking
The term paperless banking says it all. Banks are online services which could if motivated show dramatic improvements in efficiency, cost and security, while reducing the use of paper.
Why print out bank statement when it can be mailed to someone’s email address or the required department?
The conversation of paperless banking can seem like a daunting task but it is unfortunately necessary.
South Africa is a hugely unequal society with major gaps in literacy.
To bridge this gap, banks can go to schools, run campaigns to slowly initiate the migration.
@thabangn418
Pens
This is a tricky one, but following a spirited debate with fellow industry tech heads, we all agreed, the pen can go.
We’ll carry our own pens.
Banks could afford to introduce system’s that authenticate identities.
Maybe using someone’s finger to confirm their identity.
The options are there and they’re simpler than we think.
Consumers don’t travel around with cheque books anymore after the South African Reserve bank announced that cheques will not be supported by the country’s national payment system in 2020.
With cheque books out of the way, a memorial for the pen’s send-off is necessary.
Long queues
There’s a simple way to manage traffic using a ticket system.
Most banks in the country are learning to master this system while others remain stuck in inefficiency quicksand.
Banks can introduce an even better system where clients can reserve their places before getting to the bank.
If you’re making a trip to the bank, in most cases you really have to. You have looked at how you could get what you want online but resorted to biting the bullet and heading to the branch.
Bank services can afford to move forward with new system’s introduced.
We all prefer quality service, and banks have during difficult time’s afforded us that luxury.
To ask for more is merely making a necessary request.
Also read: Snapchat for Web launches with some issues
Featured image: Unsplash/Vladimir Mun
