Bank Independent launches AI-enabled voice banking
Michael Boukadakis, Enacomm:Bank Independent offers the personal touch that people crave
Bank Independent, a community bank in the US state of Alabama, has gone live with Enacomm’s Virtual Personal Assistant (VPA), providing the bank with an AI-enabled voice banking proposition, making it “a trailblazer among community banks”.
Bank Independent’s customers can now “converse” via Alexa with “an intelligent, data-powered chatbot to manage their money”, Enacomm says.
“Our new Alexa skill is the next step in providing the right balance of digital convenience and personal service,” says Kelly Burdette, SVP of digital and product at Bank Independent. “We want to provide our customers with the service they expect in the channel they choose.”
Bank Independent’s digital voice assistant, “powered by big data and made safe with voice biometric authentication”, can help customers access their accounts, payments and loans, as well as check balances, rates, locations and hours.
“Bank Independent embodies all of the advantages of a community bank, yet it’s committed to remaining a fierce competitor for the megabanks on the technology front,” says Michael Boukadakis, Enacomm’s CEO.
“Bank Independent offers the personal touch that people crave from their financial institution, while equipping customers with modern tools that elevate convenience.”
Bank Independent’s adoption of AI-assisted conversational banking will further integrate with its existing use of ViA, Enacomm’s analytics tool that improves the IVR experience, as well as an Enacomm-hosted dashboard that maximises IVR capabilities and unifies customer communications across all interaction channels to create an omnichannel customer experience.
“The majority of Bank Independent customers are tech-savvy individuals with busy lives,” explains Burdette. “We respect our customers’ time and understand the importance of empowering them to effortlessly manage their money on their own terms. The decision to roll out conversational banking was a no-brainer, because Bank Independent puts the needs of our customers first.”
Burdette added, “After launching the skill, we heard from a customer who is 89 years old. He has macular degeneration, and this Alexa skill makes his banking and his life easier. He said he found it almost unbelievable. Making a positive difference like that is what Bank Independent is all about.”
In the near future, new features that will be added to Bank Independent’s offering include precise location information and additional information about the bank’s business services, in addition to debit card management in the longer term.
Bank Independent is currently introducing customers from its 28 branches across north Alabama to voice banking.
