ORLANDO, Fla. — Bill Nuti is quick to point out that NCR Corp. has no plans of turning its back on its bread-and-butter ATM business.
The head of the $5 million self-service giant based in Dayton, Ohio, told journalists last week at NCR's Self-Service Universe Executive Conference that "while we are focused on self-service, we aren't dropping ‘ATM' from that focus."
After all, ATMs are quintessential self-service devices, Nuti pointed out.
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| Bill Nuti meets with journalists to talk about NCR's self-service future. |
Earlier this year, NCR released its first new ATM line in nearly a decade, and it's garnering a lot of attention. The SelfServ ATM line, which made its North American debut last month in Canada, is touted by NCR executives for its ability to self-heal and protect the environment.
Understanding that the whole line — which comprises the 20 and 30 series — is Windows-based and uses interchangeable hardware modules that can be used in any SelfServ ATM models, the SelfServ line comes equipped with a system that can detect when Windows goes down, hence its ability to "self-heal," says Robert Johnston, NCR's senior marketing manager.
"Today we can remotely check the machine, but with the SelfServ line, we have the ability to detect when the ATM goes down," Johnston said. "We've been reactive in the past. Today we can be proactive."
The environmental piece relates to the SelfServ's use of two-sided thermal receipt paper, which not only provides an advertising option for banks and retailers, but also a chance to cut by half the length of an ATM receipt.
"With check imaging, the receipts are going to get a lot longer," said Brian Bailey, NCR's vice president of marketing and deployment. "This technology allows banks to cut down on the length of the receipt, by printing check images on both sides of the receipt."
But self-service has grown to include much more than the ATM, and it touches many channels — like online, mobile, teller, etc. Speed, convenience and ease-of-use, Nuti says, all hallmarks of the ATM, are driving self-service, especially where its integration with other channels is concerned — hence Nuti's claim that "Every generation is a self-service generation."
Consumers are multichannel users, and that's a good thing for business, Nuti says.
"Multichannel users give you 30 percent more business than single-channel users," he said.
And the opportunities for touchpoints in the self-service space are exploding, from the self-service DVD-rental phenomenon that over the last 12 months has swept across U.S. retail to the industry's growing interest in providing self-service financial solutions that reach unbanked and underserved consumers.
The self-service revolution, NCR's theme for this year's Universe, is here, Nuti reiterated.
"We're seeing adoption of self-service across the board," he said. "And the U.S., for the most part, is leading self-service adoption. Europe is a fast second. And the next ones I would say to watch in this space are Asia and Latin America. And then take Brazil: It's very unique."
To that end, NCR in 2008 plans to make big investments in the self-service DVD rental and download market, he said, in addition to stepping up efforts that help the financial industry reach unbanked and underserved consumers.
Nuti said NCR is investing "big" in touch automation and multichannel-entertainment technology, which includes the DVD kiosk.
"The user will be able to access the kiosk via the Web or on their mobile phones," he said.
And where the unbanked are concerned opportunities for growth abound throughout the world.
"In Argentina, for instance," Nuti said during a press conference, "You have 40 million people, and 25 percent of them are in poverty. And there are many opportunities to work with the unbanked in the self-service space, such as through remittance."
And with the option of self-service bill payment available on the new SelfServ 20 series, NCR is addressing future market demands, Nuti said, whether they touch the unbanked today or into the future.
"In the U.S.," Nuti said, "many financial institutions have begun efforts to reach out to unbanked populations. If you are undecided, unsure or unclear about whether to utilize self-service to better reach this market, consider this: The non-traditional financial services market in the U.S. alone serves 28 million unbanked consumers, 44.7 million underbanked individuals, and 11 million unbanked illegal immigrants."
