Boost customer service with network expertise and upgrades

Delivering an exceptional customer experience that seamlessly bridges all channels requires a deeper look at the technologies and solutions that enable a digital-first strategy. It starts with your enterprise network infrastructure, one of the most important business assets you have and the foundation of any digital transformation. Having a robust and reliable network is vital to your organization’s success.

Here are three important ways to build and maintain your network infrastructure so that you can offer your customers exceptional service they’ll remember and stay ahead of the competition. 

Upgrade your Wi-Fi network    

In-building wireless (Wi-Fi) service is an essential component of any enterprise network. The new Wi-Fi 6 (“High Efficiency”) standard is now widely available, so it’s a great time to evaluate the state of your wireless LAN and determine if data throughput, latency and cloud management improvements will benefit your company. Good design is a critical first step to providing a productive and up-to-date Wi-Fi environment for your employees and customers.

Upgrade your wide area network    

We all know networks need to be able carry large amounts of data, and payload volumes will only increase as time passes. An upgrade to a software-defined wide area network (SDWAN) can take your WAN performance to the next level.

SD-WAN is a simpler and more cost-effective way to connect than traditional network architectures. Because it decouples hardware from the cloud-based management software that makes it run, SD-WAN is easier to install, expand and update. Naturally, this cuts costs and makes changes much faster and more efficient compared to traditional private network architectures (e.g., MPLS). More and more companies are taking advantage of SD-WAN. It’s an important consideration if you want your network to be state-of-the-art. 

Upgrade to a managed service    

Though crucial, implementing great design and effective deployment are just initial steps in the lifecycle of an enterprise network. Before activating a new network, your IT organization must determine how and by whom this infrastructure will be maintained and managed.

Network technologies are evolving at an incredible pace. It can be challenging for any team to keep up with all these changes. That’s where managed services providers, like NCR, can give you a big advantage.

By proactively monitoring and managing all of your enterprise network endpoints, an experienced provider of managed services will keep your network operating at peak performance. This approach can help you make changes faster, optimize efficiency and often detect potential problems before they happen. It also provides you with a team of expert resources that are well versed in the latest technologies. This takes a big burden off your staff and saves you a lot of headaches.

Not sure where to begin your network transformation? A network assessment might be a good place. You’ll get answers to some important questions, such as, “Do you have the wireless capacity to cover your branch?” “Are there physical barriers to your coverage?” “Do you have the bandwidth to support new technologies, such as an Interactive Teller Machine?” Whether you’re looking to verify pre-deployment readiness at a specific location or better understand your network-wide infrastructure, a network assessment can help you consider all possibilities, end to end.

We all know that the complexity and demands of running a business in the digital world will only increase. But staying on top of your network can give you the edge you need to boost your customer service and net promoter scores. Relying on network experts can keep you ahead of the game and give you more time to do what you do best: run a successful bank. 

What other important considerations do you take in your process?    

In designing a new ATM, it’s not just about designing a piece of kit, we’re designing an overall experience. For our customers, their experience is a top priority, so our role is to help ensure our ATMs deliver that same great experience.  So, we are looking to have a final ATM that is modern, stylish, and great quality. It’s got to have kerb appeal – to attract people to use it. Durability is therefore important. If it’s on the street, then it needs to withstand all types of weather conditions. And we sell our ATMs globally, so we need to consider rain, typhoons, extreme cold or heat – even sandstorms. Then, there’s testing all the components to make sure they withstand thousands of uses over the product’s lifecycle.

When it comes to the user interface it needs to be universal and understood by all. It needs to be intuitive, so that someone who has never used an ATM before is able to easily navigate their way. It’s vital that our designs deliver great experiences – and certainly no bad ones!

In banking self-service, there are over 60 accessibility guidelines, regulations, and standards that we take into consideration. These requirements are not an afterthought but are integral to the design process – they are baked into every product that we design, rather than being assessed after the fact by a third-party agency.

Does sustainability play an important part?    

Our customers are increasingly looking for products to be more sustainable and we’re constantly looking at ways we can innovate to incorporate sustainable design. For instance, how can we reduce the power consumption on our ATMs, increase the use of recycled materials in our manufacturing process, reduce the amount of coatings that are applied, and also design for deconstruction so more parts can be reused or recycled?

When bringing new self-service technology to market, we are committed to designing for the future –to develop an ATM that really meets the needs of the consumer and the financial institution not just for today but for the next 5 to 10 years.