ATMs with a Human Touch: How New ATMs May Replace Bank Tellers

ATMs are getting a new face — literally, a human face. Some bank customers are already encountering what might be called ATM cyborgs, in which a machine includes a screen showing a bank teller’s head. The teller, in a remote location connected via webcam, is able to perform tasks that traditionally have been handled only by bank employees in person, such as check cashing. The system allows banks to save money that might have been spent staffing individual branches, at the same time that customers can interact and be served by an actual human being, rather than just another computer.


The webcam-enabled ATM is just one of the methods banks are testing in their ever-evolving quest to trim their costs without losing customers. “Banks are under a lot of pressure to make their branches profitable,” says Jeff Dudash, spokesman for ATM manufacturer NCR Corporation. Next-generation ATMs not only let banks and credit unions cut down on the number of tellers needed at branches, they allow financial institutions to offer face-to-face services outside of regular business hours. There’s also a security advantage, since a would-be bank robber can’t physically threaten a teller who’s not there in person.                  Read Here