Diebold to showcase emerging technology

As consumers continue to demand more from financial institutions than ever before—instantaneous service, enhanced convenience and more control of their money—Diebold, Incorporated, a global leader in providing integrated self-service solutions, is meeting these demands with emerging technology that is transforming the self-service channel and the way consumers bank.

Diebold will showcase its Millennial-inspired automated teller machine (ATM) concept and two-way video technology, Concierge Video Services at the 2013 Cards & Payments Middle East, the region's largest smart card, payments and ID card event, on May 14-15 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Dubai, UAE.

The Millennial-inspired ATM concept integrates mobile devices, allowing consumers to complete secure, card-less transactions. The ATM features a conceptual user interface that enables touch gestures, such as flick and drag which are commonly used with smart phones and tablet devices.

Card-less withdrawals and person-to-person payments are two possible transaction scenarios via the Millennial-inspired ATM concept. To complete a card-less withdrawal, preregistered bank customer could scan the ATM's QR code using their smart phones. When the devices sync, a transaction screen would appear on the smart phone and then the user could select a withdrawal amount. A one-time code would then be sent to the smart phone, which the customer enters on the ATM screen to authenticate the transaction and receives cash. In addition, pre-staging a transaction that authorizes access to cash by a third party would be another possible transaction scenario. The customer would simply input the payment amount and recipient's contact information, which could easily be selected directly from his or her phone's contact list. Then the recipient would receive a one-time code that could be used at an ATM or branch to oil painting reproduction.

Diebold will also showcase its Concierge Video Services, which enables users to connect face-to-face with the financial institution's customer service representatives via two-way video. During transactions, consumers have the option to initiate a video call to customer service representatives to complete activities that are not traditionally conducted at the ATM, such as account maintenance, new account setup and savings product renewals. This immediate access to support enriches consumers' ATM experiences and saves them time.

"Consumers demand speed and convenience, but also a more personalized banking experience. Bringing video support and other emerging technology to the ATM offers financial institutions the ability to enhance their self-service capabilities and improve user experiences," said Dave Wetzel, Diebold vice president and managing director, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). "Diebold partners with financial institutions to deploy technology that meets consumers evolving demands and also the business priorities of the intuition."

In last week's On the Spot column, letter writer Nancy Jones said she was going to London and expressed concern about whether her credit cards would work because they are not Chip and PIN (personal identification number). She said she didn't want to carry a load of cash. What should she do? It turned out to be a more complicated answer than I expected, but I did find a card that I think will work.

The issue with many U.S. credit cards is that they use a magnetic stripe. In many parts of Europe, Asia and Latin America, the standard is a smart card or EMV, short for Europay, MasterCard and Visa. Many of those cards use a PIN.

U.S. cards are beginning to come with a smart chip, but they often are Chip and Signature cards — that is, instead of using a PIN, you sign your card slip and the signatures are compared. David Hogan, executive director with Heartland Payment Systems, one of the largest credit-card processors in the U.S., told me a prominent retailer told him, "'Dave, can't remember the last time we hired a handwriting expert.'"

Before you begin your quest for such a card, let me note that I've used my magnetic stripe card in Europe and Asia within the last year and had issues only once — at the unmanned London Tube kiosk at Paddington Station — and a request for a smart card with a PIN only once when I was making a purchase at a mobile phone store.

So before I made myself crazy, I decided to follow the advice of Seth Eisen, a vice president at MasterCard: He suggested checking your credit cards and calling to see whether they were smart cards.

The results: None of the cards I carry (American Express, Visa and MasterCard) has the chip. One card company told me it could give me a PIN but also said the card would act like a cash advance card, and I would start accruing big interest and transaction charges right away. That is not what I wanted.

Travelers who go abroad need to have alternatives — money tools, I call them — in case they get into a jam. Cash works (U.S. plus the small amount of foreign currency you'll change before you go); sometimes, traveler's checks work. Debit cards used in ATMs usually work, although you may incur foreign transaction fees. Magnetic stripe cards often work, but again, watch out for those fees. And sometimes a smart card with a PIN will work, but you can run into problems using it for online purchases.

As technology changes, this discussion may become moot. "Some places might skip the PIN-versus-Signature debate altogether," said Rick Clemmer, chief executive of NXP Semiconductors, whose chips are used in cards and passports. They'll go to a smartphone that uses NFC, or near field communications, and provides a "contactless" purchase experience.