In September 2002, St.George awarded Phoenix an exclusive contract to provide VISTAatm as the software solution to drive their 1,000+ ATMs, which at the time consisted of only NCR hardware. Subsequent to the decision to implement VISTAatm, the Bank added several hundred Diebold ATMs - a move readily facilitated by the multi-vendor capability of VISTAatm.
Why St. George Bank Chose Phoenix
Rollout is well underway with an initial focus on moving existing functionality delivered on the Network from OS/2 to Windows utilizing the VISTAatm Terminal Software solution. This initiative is now being supplemented with the addition of audio capability to address Australian Disability Act requirements.
The VISTAatm Text-to-Speech module uses an advanced technology computer generated synthesized voice - otherwise known as a text-to-speech engine - as opposed to the old method of .WAV files being deployed by some financial institutions.
VISTAatm and its Text-to-Speech solution was selected because of the flexibility and clear advantages offered. The Bank can easily change audio prompts or add new ones in an automated way that does not involve the expense and time to market involved with human audio recordings (WAV files).
Highlights
- NCR and Diebold hardware
- Windows NT/2000 initially - currently upgrading to XP
- NDC message format
- TCP/IP communication protocol
- eFunds Connex switch environment
- Triple DES enabled
- Full software distribution and content management capability via Tivoli
- Personalization with "Favourite Transaction" (Amount, Account, Receipt Options)
- Text-to-Speech audio capability for the visually-impaired
More about St.George Group www.stgeorge.com.au
Australia's fifth largest bank (one of the top 15 publicly listed companies in Australia, employing over 7,500 people) the St.George Group occupies a unique position in the Australian financial services industry. With assets of $57.3 billion (at 31 March 2003) and 2.6 million customers, St.George is placed between Australia's four major banks and the country's smaller regional banking groups. The St.George Group has more than 400 branches across Australia and includes BankSA, South Australia's foremost provider of housing and personal finance, SEALCORP and Advance Funds Management.
Its national operations span all aspects of the financial industry including retail banking, institutional & business banking, and wealth management. At the Bank's core is a close relationship with its customers and this remains the cornerstone of future strategies, an important tradition that St.George feels distinguishes them from other Australian Banks. Evidence of this comes from the fact that St.George Bank won the 'Best Bank' in Australia award at the 2003 Australian Banking and Finance Magazine Awards.
Perhaps most importantly, the Bank has a philosophy of continuous service improvement, which is supported by a consistent program of investment in the business. This is designed to lay a platform for future growth. The deployment of VISTAatm is a great example of this philosophy in action.
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