Dear Friends,
As Kanchan Mam mentioned I am working on talking ATMs since 2008. Initially at XRCVC with prototypes testing and now after joining Union Bank of India on live talking ATMs. I was involved in talks and demos with banks and ATM manufactures in last 3 years during XRCVC my job. Done lot of testing work and provided many inputs from user point of view when Union Bank was developing first bilingual TTS based talking ATM project. What you see today on field is a NCR selfserve 22e model ATM with talking functionality. It is a result of months of testing and development at ATM and ATM host end. Further I also wrote an instruction manual in June this year after we launched first truly accessible ATM at BPA, Ahmedabad on 6th JUNE 2012 on do’s and don’ts and guidance for first time user. This instruction manual or a handbook is made available in a soft copy Braille (.brf) and full text full audio daisy format. I guess Union Bank of India may be the first bank in India to have instruction manual/bank official document in a DAISY format. Handbook can be downloaded from Union Bank of India website www.unionbankofindia.co.in or from www.xrcvc.org This handbook will answer many basic queries like how to hold a card, use of function keys, etc. The reason I have wrote about my involvement in talking ATM project because after working with XRCVC and now as a public sector bank employee I have experienced both sides of a coin. Our friends have lot of concerns on talking ATM, currently available limited options and their locations/availability, etc. I would like to share few things that may help in understanding the ground reality. Currently only one ATM manufacturer i.e. NCR has proven solution for talking atm. It uses bilingual TTS, any card can be used, it has features of privacy and security, help functionality, IVR type operations, etc. One important point is voice guidance or VG is tried and tested on only one type of ATM model. As ATM model will change its layout will also change and there will be some changes. So again some customization may require. In addition bank to bank more or less changes needs to be done in audio messages. Other ATM manufacturers are still in the process of developing talking ATM solutions or VG for Indian conditions. I am also involved in testing of that and visiting their labs as and when new developments are done. Of course cost is involved in everything that bank has to bear. Again all banks are not investing in ATM channel in general. If you see ATMs of different banks only 4-5 banks have ATMs of more than 3000-4000. Big ones are SBI and its associate and Axis bank with more than 10,000 ATMs. Other banks focus more on other businesses and channels. ATM installation and maintenance is a big job for a bank. You need to have ATM with certain basic technical requirements for talking functionality so all ATMs cannot be converted into talking ATM. Old ATM models are not compatible and in reality on ground we have many old ATMs still in use. One concern is why not all functionality is made accessible. I feel mobile recharge, fund transfer, IRCTC, etc are value added things which are now a days made available through ATMs. These can be also done through other channels like internet, mobile, etc. but if you need cash any time without visiting bank branch you have only one option i.e. an ATM or cash point. So we should appreciate that basic ATM function of cash withdrawal is today accessible for us. Again to develop voice guidance for just three things (cash withdrawal, balance enquiry and PIN change) was a big task and we reached there after so many years. So if we will wait for everything to make accessible things will never happen. Let’s have phase wise approach and let’s decide what our key need is. For having good accessible locations many things decides location choice. Ideally we all know which good locations for VI are but just 2-3 banks cannot fulfill that requirement. We need maximum banks to come out with talking ATMs and then at each location at least one bank can install one talking ATM. Right now Union Bank of India’s approach is newly installed ATMs if it is NCR ATM will be made talking. That’s why you will see our maximum sites are Passport Seva Kendras (PSK) setup by government across India where bank has an ATM site at every PSK. There are many more things to share and talk on but may be later as this post has already turned out so lengthy. Best regards, Prashant Naik On Mon, Oct 1, 2012 at 7:28 AM, KanchanPamnani <kanchanpamn...@gmail.com>wrote: > Amiyoda what could others do with eyesight which you could not do because > you were visually challenged? > We need to keep the pressure on so that we don't get left behind. Initially > if there are a few machines its OK as long as they have full service. > Kanchan > > -----Original Message----- > From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On > Behalf > Of Amiyo Biswas > Sent: 01 October 2012 06:24 > To: accessindia@accessindia.org.in > Subject: Re: [AI] First Talking ATM in West Bengal. > > I am sorry for the late reply. I tried it several times. It's really > accessible. However, all services are not available. I withdrew cash and > checked balance with my own card and with others' cards also. Himansu Sahu > of our list was also with me. We were asked to test it. > > > With best regards, > Amiyo Biswas > Cell: +91-9433464329 > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Raaj" <vennillaicecr...@gmail.com> > To: <li...@srinivasu.org>; <accessindia@accessindia.org.in> > Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2012 10:23 PM > Subject: Re: [AI] First Talking ATM in West Bengal. > > > hmmm. we can try that. but I don't think all banks will accept that > because, > as per the banks in tamilnadu, to my knowledge, other than state bank of > india, none of the banks are willing to give any facility to the blind. > > While they are refusing to give checkbooks, ATM, Internet banking to an > individual blind person, how come they will come forward to install > accessible ATM machines? > > I thought there was nothing. But I was told there are one or two here in my > city. I haven't come across that yet. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <li...@srinivasu.org> > To: <accessindia@accessindia.org.in> > Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2012 9:07 PM > Subject: Re: [AI] First Talking ATM in West Bengal. > > > Raaj, > Agree with Kanchan... The best we need to do is alert local disability > organizations to work with banks in Chennai and make it happen. > > regards, > -Srinivasu > Sent from BlackBerryR on Airtel > > -----Original Message----- > From: "Raaj" <vennillaicecr...@gmail.com> > Sender: "AccessIndia" <accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in> > Date: Sat, 29 Sep 2012 18:58:58 > To: <accessindia@accessindia.org.in> > Reply-To: accessindia@accessindia.org.in > Subject: Re: [AI] First Talking ATM in West Bengal. > > it's still far away as per chennai. I haven't seen even a single accessible > ATM here. the rule has to be enforced for allotting certain per centage of > accessible ATM's. And if they are not following, they have to be > peenalised. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "KanchanPamnani" <kanchanpamn...@gmail.com> > To: <accessindia@accessindia.org.in> > Sent: Saturday, September 29, 2012 6:43 PM > Subject: Re: [AI] First Talking ATM in West Bengal. > > > > The day is not too far away. We are progressing quite quickly. > > Kanchan > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On > > Behalf > > Of nitesh gupta > > Sent: 29 September 2012 18:13 > > To: accessindia@accessindia.org.in > > Subject: Re: [AI] First Talking ATM in West Bengal. > > > > I dream 1 day will come when a talking a t m will b @ my door steps. > > because a sighted person can avail the talking a t m but the visually > > challanged can not avail the vise versa normally. > > > > On 9/29/12, Amiyo Biswas <amiyo.bis...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> You may read this news here: > >> http://www.bpa.org.in/news.htm#latest > >> Incidentally I was present at the inauguration. > >> > >> > >> > >> With best regards, > >> Amiyo Biswas > >> Cell: +91-9433464329 > >> > >> First Talking ATM for the Visually Challenged in West Bengal, Union > >> Bank's > >> Initiative > >> > >> September 28, 2012 > >> Union Bank of India installs the first talking ATM for the visually > >> challenged people in West Bengal. Shri Debabrata Sarkar, Chairman and > >> Managing Director of the Bank, today inaugurated this special ATM at the > >> passport office at Anandapur near Ruby crossing in Kolkata. Shri Sarkar > >> announced on this occasion that Union Bank will install 250 similar > > talking > >> ATM counters in the country within March, 2013. Braille versions of the > > user > >> guide for this type of ATM was distributed among the representatives of > >> different organisations. An accessible and audio version of this manual > >> is > >> also put up on the Union Bank's web site. It is also available from the > > web > >> site of Xavier Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged who compiled > > this > >> manual. > >> > >> Blind Persons' Association hopes that there will be many more accessible > >> ATMs in West Bengal. A number of such ATMs have been installed in other > >> cities in India. the audio system comes live as soon as a standard 3.5 > mm > >> headphone jack is inserted. A user can hide the display if he wants > >> additional security. Right now he can withdraw cash, check account > >> balance > >> and even change his PIN. 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