The ATM is critical at Christmas

The other day Visa predicted that the busiest time for high street shopping will be December 23 - the final weekday before Christmas Eve. The company expects to process over 17 million transactions in the UK worth over £860 million on this day alone.

As consumers hit the high street, the ATM will be a vital service for many shoppers. In fact, last year Level Four’s research found that shoppers favour cash over credit cards to manage their budgets at Christmas. Even though ‘green shoots’ are appearing it is highly likely that the same feelings will apply this year as well. As banks look to increase consumer trust and loyalty, it is essential that ATMs are up and running to ensure that they adequately meet consumer needs.

In order to ensure banks cope with this spike in withdrawal volumes they will to not only increase the levels of cash stored in the ATM or alternatively provide for more frequent cash replenishment, they will also need to look at preventing ATM downtime. Providing the best possible service is essential to maintaining brand reputation, especially at Christmas when the volumes of consumers are larger, and stress levels are typically higher. To provide this service, banks should be prioritising comprehensive ATM testing and monitoring strategies at this time as part of their ongoing campaigns to maximise the potential of their ATM networks. Whilst providing excellent service at the ATM is important at all times, it is clearly essential in the run up to Christmas

Ian Kerr