By : Robin Angus
August 10, 2017 12:00 PM
When banks are rolling out ATM solutions, it's vitally important they consider the needs of all their customers, especially those who may have accessibility issues such as visual impairments that may make it difficult to complete interactions in the same way as most people.
That's why investing in tools that can meet these challenges is so important in order to ensure full financial inclusion, and it's an area NCR has always had a strong focus on, which is allowing banks around the world to offer a fuller range of accessibility services to their customers.
Improving accessibility in the UAE
One bank that has recently taken advantage of the accessibility solutions offered by NCR is UAE-based Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB), which is set to upgrade its ATMs with NCR audio-guided technology. This allows visually impaired customers to plug in their headphones and hear audio guidance that enables them to securely navigate the devices without the need for additional assistance.
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Head of retail banking at ADIB Philip King said: "In line with the Central Bank's commitment to the visually impaired, we are pleased to be partnering with NCR in our efforts to better meet the needs of visually impaired customers, and to empower them to take control of their transactions and have secure access to our ATM services."
Meeting the needs of the visually impaired
ADIB will
Wael El Aawar, managing director for NCR in Saudi and Gulf, also noted that NCR ATMs are designed with Access for All standards in mind and offer a large number of design and functionality features to meet the needs of the visually impaired.
"Accessible
Another key factor in NCR's ATM accessibility is the ability for the user to blank out the screen. This acts as a security mechanism that prevents any other bystander from accessing confidential customer data by 'shoulder surfing' during a transaction.
This isn't the only security feature that could benefit the visually-impaired in the coming years. Contactless ATMs, for example,
But the technology could also help visually impaired people by making it easier to authenticate themselves, while innovative applications such as mobile cash withdrawal or setting up presets on their smartphone can enable them to receive a tailored experience at the ATM.