|
Video conferencing
with bank experts
by Joseph Ghio
Client seeking expert banking advice can now do so via video
conferencing, a new service being offered by Bank of Valletta.
The service was lauched yesterday at the Msida branch, and the
bank plans to have video conferencing available in all branches
by April of next year. At present the service is available at
the Naxxar, San Gwann and Republic Street branches.
The bank’s clients are now able to receive real-time expertise
from specialists at the Bancassurance office in Valletta without
having to go there. Thus a client in Naxxar simply has to go
to his locality’s branch and receive real-time help from
the experts in Valletta.
BOV chairman Joseph F.X. Zahra said that through this new facility
the branch staff will be able to
connect clients on a video conference with Bancassurance experts
and thus provide ‘face to face’
communication.
The bank is running the new service on its private network,
called BOVNET, which links all BOV branches to each other but
formerly only used for conventional data transmissions.
BOVNET will now be used also to transmit audio and video data
by means of which a client will not only talk to a bank expert
in another branch but also see him on the computer screen at
the branch’s offices. In turn, the expert on the other
end will be able to talk and see the client on the screen at
his own office.
The system makes use of common Web-cameras and computer speakers
but the quality is much better than that experienced by Internet
home users.
Video conferencing between the BOV branches will be transmitted
over the bank’s private network and the data will be relayed
in real-time.
The bank is also planning to widen the scope of the service
to start providing direct live links with other bank experts
besides those working at the Bancassurance office. He said video
conferencing could also be used to provide advice on other specialised
products such as fund management and private banking.
|
