Bendigo Bank
In keeping with Bendigo Bank's customer service, this bank mixes the functionality of some of the larger banks' sites with a rapid turn-around on queries.
"We benchmark ourselves at about an hour," says Andrew Watts, head of remote banking for Bendigo Bank. "Our business is essentially built around customer choice, we don't have a deliberate strategy to get people online, we are just letting our customers deal with us the way they want to."
With a suite of services targeted at SMEs, and a focus on remote banking rather than e-commerce, Bendigo's online service is designed as an extension of, rather than a substitute for, its branch service.
"Our motto is successful customer service in a successful community will create a successful bank," Watts says. "So we are looking at ways to bring more of that online, including developing e-commerce marketplaces, creating a financial service portal with information on everything from tax advice, wills and estate planning, to superannuation, and share management."
According to Watts, the complimentary model of banking services, which allows consumers to take up different services as required, has lead to 84 percent of transactions occurring outside branch offices.
"We are seeing a big uptake in rural areas where it just dosn't make sense to come all the way into a branch if you can do everything online anyway," Watts says.
Technology:
Browser based, running 128-bit SSL encryption, online banking built on an 'Edify' platform, currently the bank users java quite extensively, and plans are in place to consolidate functionality around Java and Websphere over the next 12 months.
Compatibility:
Web site is both Mac and PC compatible.
Consumer Services:
- view account information
- view transaction histories
- credit card information
- interest summaries
- transfer funds between Bendigo Banking accounts
- transfer funds from Bendigo Banking accounts to an account with another institution
- BPAY services
- create and maintain periodic payments
- transfers and bill payments
- cheque tracking and stopping
- updating some user information
- re-order cheque and deposit books
Company Services:
- an authorisation system that allows a number of persons to authorise a payment at the touch of a button
- small payroll management through funds transfer to any financial institution
- combined personal and business e-banking on the one screen
- online merchant credit card facilities including EFTPOS
Extras:
Specific rural services rolled out through a joint venture with Elders
Web site:
Why didn't you include Adelaide Bank (http://www.adelaidebank.com.au)? It provides a good range of services with the exception of not being able to credit someone else's account quickly.