OREANDA-NEWS. October 18, 2011. Nowadays, more and more customers pay different utility bills through self-service devices or Electronic Banking, as reporter has revealed from ICBC Beijing Branch. Now, customers simply pay the bills at the self-service device or computer instead of running to the - bank and queuing up at the counter, save time, save effort, reported the press centre of ICBC.

At present, customers can use the self-service devices of ICBC Beijing Branch for cash deposit/withdrawal or transfer, said an executive with the Branch. Besides, the self-service devices of the Branch also allow customers to pay utility bills (water, electricity, gas), communication fee, traffic fines, or top up ETC card. This represents "one-stop" self-service channel for customers to pay all types of utility bills at ICBC self-service devices or through Electronic Banking. In particular, customers can pay traffic fines at self-service devices of the Branch or via Internet Banking. Car owners holding Beijing license plates can also directly pay off-site fines through this self-service channel without running to the traffic station.

ICBC Beijing Branch, the largest retail bank in Beijing, provides a rich variety of financial services to millions and thousands of personal customers in the area. In recent years, the Branch steps up effort to deliver a wide range of fast and convenient self-service functions and programs for customers closely related to the everyday living. With an aim to improve the experience of customers using self-service devices, ICBC Beijing Branch works on two fronts. One aspect is to set up more self-service channels. Number of self-service devices increases every year, whether newly installed or existing ones, adding the total to more than 4,000 already. The Branch is the bank in Beijing with the highest number of self-service devices installed. Today, ICBC Beijing Branch's self-service channels cover all the districts/counties in Beijing. Especially, self-service devices are installed everywhere in Beijing (traffic hubs, universities and colleges, medical organizations, large social communities, commercial downtown, all MTR stops at line 4), offering 24-hour financial services to the customers.

Another aspect is to enrich the service content of self-service devices. More services can be accessed to improve customer experience, faster and more convenient financial services can be offered. An example is to deposit money and pay bills at self-service devices, a major breakthrough for customers to use passbook at self-service channels. ATMs allow customers to deposit money without using passbook or card, just enter the account number. Self-service terminals provide function for customers to use CUP cards to pay utility bills, faster and more convenient. "One Card Link, One Network Link, One Bill Link", a typical function for payment of Beijing utility bills and a boost to ICBC Beijing Branch's capability to provide services via self-service channels.

An executive with ICBC said, ICBC, a first mover with "green financial" in Beijing, is dedicated to provide convenient financial services to the general folks. Self-service channels are highly deployed to deliver "highly efficient" and "low carbon" financial services and drive the "buffet"-oriented financial services to personal customers. Self-service channels not only alleviate the long customer queue at the counter, but move banking services to be highly efficient and "low carbon". Customers welcome the "green financial" concept, fast, easy and convenient services.