ATM is Number 1, according to APACS

A recent APACS report states that 71% of all cash acquired by consumers comes from cash machines. Furthermore, the statistics show that a total of 2.9 billion cash machine withdrawals were conducted in 2008, which equates to 91 withdrawals per second.

It comes as no surprise that ATMs are the primary port of call for cash withdrawals. Despite the popularity of this channel however, ATMs continue to suffer significant levels of downtime. This is damaging both for a bank’s brand and their customer service.

Banks need to look after the basics if they want to maintain the success of the ATM channel. Providing network availability on a 24/7 basis is critical to customer satisfaction. Awareness of this is reflected by the fact that reducing network downtime has topped banks’ list of ATM priorities over the past two years.

A key reason for ATM downtime is inadequate testing. Thousands of tests need to be conducted on a daily basis to ensure the smooth running of the ATM network. However, many banks still test there ATMs manually, which is untenable for testing on this scale. One way banks can overcome this challenge is through implementing automated testing procedures. Using this method, banks can conduct the necessary tests continuously so any potential errors are quickly spotted and resolved. In this way maximum ATM availability is assured, helping banks to realise the full potential of the most popular banking channel.

Martin Macmillan