Auriga, a global software provider for the omnichannel banking and payments industry, today announced a significant development of its digital self-service branch solution Bank4Me. IOLE is a powerful virtual assistant that intuitively and fully answers customers’ needs and provides extended assistance when they use Bank4Me.

Running on digital hubs inside new-style branches, Bank4Me allows customers to access all the services of the bank in self-service mode and interact with the bank's consultants via video and audio assistance, in a safe and personalised way.

The new IOLE virtual assistance maximises Bank4Me #NextGenBranch capabilities to support customers and educate them on new features and financial products, further improving the experience of using digital self-service branch services. IOLE offers a wide range of functions depending on the needs of the customer:

• Integrates into the Bank4Me desk and is activated by motion sensors to welcome the customer and offer its services.
• Offers fully automated assistance through voice commands, without the need for the customer to physically interact with the Bank4Me desk.
• Explains the functions and components of the Bank4Me desk, allowing customers to become familiar with the entire workstation.
• Provides information regarding all operations that can be carried out with Bank4Me including account balance checks, transactions, branch opening/closing times, and promotions. 
• Completess a transaction on behalf of the customer and guarantee the accuracy of its execution. 
• Autonomously starts interaction with a bank’s consultants via video conference for more complex transactions in a safe and personalised way, if required by the customer. 

Vincenzo Fiore, CEO of Auriga said: “We are committed to creating innovative software and setting the benchmark for banking service solutions that truly serve the needs of customers, banks, and ATM operators. IOLE enhances the experience customers have when using Bank4Me inside branches, furthering our goal of enabling banks to invest in new digital branches that deliver smarter, more personalised, services while being much more operationally efficient to run.”

Banks can extend their use of IOLE by easily integrating with third-party service providers such as travel or event ticket payments. This enables a faster time to market for new services and revenue-generating opportunities. Additionally, IOLE uses machine learning to improve how it works with customers and supports branch banking processes.

Among the first Bank4Me users is the Italian retail bank, Banca Carige, which uses the Bank4Me desk in four fully digital branches. These provide branch banking services 24/7, while reducing operating costs by 38% compared to traditional branches.