Bank of Ireland to facilitate virtual meetings via Skype and Facetime

10 Feb 2016

Áine McCleary, head of direct sales, Bank of Ireland

Bank of Ireland is to introduce a new dimension to banking with a virtual meeting service that employs Skype and Facetime, enabling customers to meet mortgage advisers, for example, from any location.

Traditionally, such meetings were the a case of visiting the bank manager in the local branch, but now customers at home and abroad will be able to access a qualified mortgage adviser from any location.

Áine McCleary, head of direct sales at Bank of Ireland, said that over the past two years the bank has noted a considerable behavioral change in the ways consumers bank, with a preference for online channels.

“Digital logins across all channels are up more than 50pc,” McCleary said. “We are continuing to invest in our technology to meet customers’ needs.”

“Following on from the successful launch of our recent end-to-end online current account opening, which enables customers to open an account online, in real-time, the virtual meeting service will be very beneficial for people who are already stretched for time and have limited availability during standard working hours.

“It will also be helpful for Irish people living abroad who may be starting to think about coming home.

“Taking out a mortgage or investing in financial products can be a big step for anyone and this enhanced accessibility will ensure people can engage with a qualified adviser as a single point of contact, via Skype or Facetime, from anywhere in the world,” McCleary said.

Data-based decision-making

The virtual meetings service isn’t the only new technology being rolled out by the bank.

The bank has developed a new data service called Life Online, which is available to customers through Bank of Ireland 365 Online.

It provides an easy-to-access dashboard of their investments, pension and protection policies, with comprehensive up-to-date information on investment performance and insights for the long-term investor.

“Life Online enables customers to stay on top of their investment choices and provides rich information and tools to help them understand what they have and what it will do for them in the future,” a spokesman said.

“The platform was designed to revolutionise how customers stay in control and plan for their financial future and allows customers to see their full financial dashboard 24-7 and delve further into their long-term financial plans.”

 

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com