OREANDA-NEWS. Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) -- Malaysia's premier savings bank, Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN), is transforming their products and services to appeal to a new generation of digital-enabled customers by deploying Virtual Teller Machines (VTM) across 31 branches. Built on Cisco® Unified Communication and Cisco Unified Computing platforms the VTM helps enable virtual, real-time engagement between customers and tellers in any of the branches, through a highly secure and immersive video platform.

"The VTM balances the work load between branches, enabling customers in busy branches to perform transactions assisted by tellers in less busy branches nationwide. Customers can now enjoy counter transactions without geographical limitations and experience more comfortable and personalised professional financial services," said Datuk Adinan Maning, Chief Executive of Bank Simpanan Nasional.

Key Benefits to Digitised Teller Services

Virtualising the services provided by in-bank tellers enables BSN to increase resources for the customer, increase bank productivity and most importantly, increase the efficiency of their organisation and the efficiency of service to their customers. Each BSN branch will have three VTM machines and these self-service kiosks that are supported by 450 virtual teller agents placed to assist their colleagues at branches that have higher customer traffic.

The virtual tellers will be able to attend to customers' needs, provide advice on banking products and services, and handle account inquiries as well as loan applications.

The VTMs installed at BSN branches have highly secure features including encrypted electronic signature, thumb print verification, and card identification to ensure customers are protected.

"The financial services industry is not immune to competition from market disruptors. Non-traditional financial institutions are delivering new digital services that are personal, customised and convenient. Malaysia is committed to transforming the economy through digitisation, and two critical aspects of the Eleventh Malaysia Plan -- innovation to drive revenue and productivity acceleration for sectoral growth -- are addressed with this implementation at BSN. By leveraging technologies from Cisco to drive a connected banking experience, BSN is leading the way in delivering greater value to their customers, appealing to the digital consumer, improving their productivity and efficiency, while increasing their revenue and customer base. The digitisation of bank branches is an important part of the Omni channel banking experience that transforms the customer's transaction and increases their engagement with the bank," said Albert Chai, Managing Director for Cisco in Malaysia.

Built on the Cisco Business Edition 7000 unified communications platform that includes voice over Internet Protocol (IP), video through Telepresence with Cisco DX 650 and Cisco Jabber for chat functionality and presence, the VTM allows BSN employees to connect to their customers at any time during branch operation hours. The scalable, open and interoperable technologies are hosted on Cisco Unified Computing System foundation.

"In total, BSN is investing RM30 million to roll out the VTM that provides more than 80 percent of counter services, and is an improvement over current automated teller machines (ATM) and cash deposit machines (CDM). In the near future, the VTMs will also be offering additional services including Account Opening and Debit Card, Customer Information Management and Bills Payment. The VTMs may also allow extended banking hours with the placement of VTMs at public locations," continued Datuk Adinan.

BSN customers will be able to use the new banking service in 31 branches, with 93 VTMs serving customers from December 2, 2015.

According to McKinsey, more than 700 million consumers currently use digital banking across Asia. With digital banking through desktops, smartphones, and tablets becoming much more common, consumers that prefer digital banking are more attractive to financial institutions as they tend to be more educated, have account balances that are two to three times higher, hold multiple banking products and are very active in online shopping. By digitising banking services through VTM machines, BSN is able to optimise technology to improve the customer experience and meet customer demand, while competing with emerging fin-tech start-ups.

About Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN)
Motivated by its mission to deliver a better life within the reach of all Malaysians, BSN dares to be better, pushing its limits to extend services to all Malaysians. BSN endeavours to give all Malaysians an equal opportunity to pursue a better and more promising financial future, and be their gateway to better lives. To achieve this, the bank leverages its expertise and experience of financial inclusiveness, supported by a comprehensive product and service range delivered through multiple touch points in all areas of the country.

Founded in 1974, BSN currently has more than 7,000 employees, 401 branches, 870 Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), 387 Cash Deposit Machines (CDM) and more than 6,100 Registered Banking Agents (Ejen Bank BSN) or EB BSN across the country. BSN has over 9.1 million customers across Malaysia with retail deposits amounting to RM13.8billion (As of October 2015).

BSN offers a range of savings, wealth management, business and personal financing and card products both in conventional and Islamic banking.

About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in IT that helps companies transform the opportunities of tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously unconnected. Cisco products are supplied in Malaysia by the channel partners of Cisco International Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, Inc.