ATMs to 'speak' 8 desi languages

HYDERABAD: VoiceGate Technologies India Pvt. Ltd. is developing a technology to offer voice-based interactive services at ATMs. According to the company, the proposed solution enables ATMs to talk to the users and is also capable of working as a local telephone-banking server on the ATM equipment.

Declining to give details of the bank for which the company is developing this solution, sources at VoiceGate said that the bank, which has around 4,174 ATMs covering rural areas, plans to add 2,500 more ATMs soon. The company plans to provide hardware and software compatible with ATMs for this expansion plan.

Sensing the dominance of regional languages in the South, VoiceGate has also come up with a solution that provides assistance in eight Indian languages for use in states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Giving details of the new solution VoiceGate MD, Syed Mohammed said, "By using the solution, ATMs can be made to announce instructions by taking the input from the dial pad instead of the regular keyboard, could serve efficiently for the visually-challenged fraternity."

The solution also allows an ATM to work as a telephone-banking server where users can make a call and carry on the transactions even without inserting the respective ATM card. Cash-less transactions such as account balance enquiry, stop cheque request, change of telephone personal identification number (TPIN) and request for statement of account by postal mail could be carried out free-of-cost.

ATMs would also be connected to the local intercom network using a small PBX installed at the ATM site. "Since the ATM is treated as one of the telephone extensions of PBX other simultaneous operations at the ATM counter are not hindered," explained Mohammed.

According to him, large complexes and multi national companies provide intercom facility that can be used by the residents and employees to connect to the nearby ATM. "This could be done by extending the intercom network to the society's EPBAX connectivity," explained Mohammed.

With further coordination between the ATM manufacturers, VoiceGate and the bank authorities, an additional feature of paying utility bills through the ATMs telephonic connectivity is on the cards. Also, the concept of self-help technologies is being planned. An extension from ATM could be installed at the point of sales (read shopping malls) where customers can directly debit money from their account to the shopping mall account by entering the ID and TPIN. However, security aspects of this method need more attention in order to implement it.