Mashreqbank Launches Voice Recognition Banking

DUBAI, UAE - Available now on the Mashreqbank's toll-free phone number 800-4010, callers can opt for either conventional telebanking by keying in numbers on their phone, or voice commands that enables them to access the same services by speaking. Based on Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology, the system can respond to spoken commands such as 'cards,' balance,' 'information, 'apply,' 'yes' and many more. "Simply, it takes away the need to repeatedly punch menu numbers on the telephone and makes the telebanking experience quicker and a lot more natural and enjoyable," said Steven Pinto, Head of Retail Banking Group, Mashreqbank. The voice recognition service is available in both English and Arabic and is initially available for managing a variety of credit cards functions. "Mashreqbank is committed to providing our clients with the most up to date technology. Customers can now review and perform transactions on their accounts 'hands free,' providing them with great convenience and efficiency," Pinto added. "The service has initially been launched on the Credit Cards telebanking line and will be extended across all Mashreqbank telephone banking services shortly." For security reasons, account and credit card numbers and password are input via the telephone keypad so that no one else can overhear or record these details. Mindscape IT, a specialist in providing financial IT solutions in the Middle East, in association with the Ascent Computing Group, New York, implemented the system for Mashreqbank. Mohammed Fouz, CEO of Mindscape IT, said: "Ascent's AscenTel Voice Platform was selected because it is best of breed and uses the latest Voice XML technologies for ease and reliability. It is a fully integrated system with unique features that provide streamlined application development and a robust high performance runtime environment."