SHB partners with ABANA to introduce "open branch" concept by implementing TCR in Saudi Arabia

Oct. 30, 2009 - PRLog -- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Hollandi Bank’s Managing Director, Dr. Bernd Fan Lender, stated that, “SHB, as part of an ambitious expansion plan, is building a highly technical and advanced platform at its branches Kingdom-wide using technical solutions to provide a more flexible work environment in branches to customers. The new system will save the efforts and time of customers as well as bank staff whilst ensuring accuracy and efficiency for the customers when using the bank’s financial, banking, and investment services”.
In a press conference held yesterday, an opening ceremony for a new Islamic banking branch in Ghadeer area, North of Riyadh with a TCR solution—an advanced system for cash management and automated cash deposit and withdrawal—Dr. Lender said, “It is our pleasure to be the first bank in the Kingdom to introduce the TCR solution. The solution constitutes specific initiative which will enable us to continue our development, and emphasize our commitment to provide top facilities to build a banking service based on highly technical criteria which give us preference in the market and enhance our relationship with our customers”. “By introducing such solution, we have made a leap at the level of retail banking, and this will enhance the bank’s position as one of the leaders in the local banking business”, he added.

Ehab Al-Dabbagh, Personal Banking General Manager said, “The system enables branch tellers to perform the banking transactions required by the customer with higher accuracy and efficiency, and contributes to the development of staff performance related to customer services. As the solution will perform functions such as cash counting, and retrieval of relative information like deposits or withdrawals, this will provide the staff sufficient time to respond to customer queries and explain the advantages of the services provided, hence giving the branch more momentum in attending to customers requirements, which enhance confidence between the customer and bank services”.

“The TCR solution, an advanced solution for cash recycling, provides management of cash operations by branch tellers, and is a complementary to the present functions of ATMs.  The TCR solution provides various services that are performed by the branch staff and not the customer itself”, Al-Dabbagh added. The solution is user-friendly; hence training on the staffs on how to use and operate will not be difficult. The solution has simple and clear functions which enable fast completion of transactions. In terms of physical shape, the system looks smaller than the ordinary ATMs and is operated inside the branches.
Abdullah Bin Jebreen, President and CEO of ABANA Enterprises Group Co., the company who has introduced and supervises the operation of the system in the bank branches, expressed his happiness and gratitude for the close cooperation between his company and SHB in launching the first TCR solution in the Kingdom and introduces the “open branch” concept. The TCR is one of the most successful solutions in the field of cash deposit and withdrawal, globally.  It is accompanied with easy technical and interactive applications, which enhances the teller’s ability to account variances and speedy reconciliation during the day.

Mr. Jebreen added that the effects of this major leap in the history of banking industry is not restricted to the improvement of customer services;  it also represents an effective tool for branch process automation, and consequently, minimizing of human errors whilst enhancing the speed of transactions and daily reconciliations.

He added that the TCR solution is highly capable of authenticating, counting, and sorting of cash notes, whilst updating the bank system, accurately.  The TCR solution is equipped with software solution that can be upgraded to cope up with new issues of banknotes and combat new counterfeits circulating in the market. This new technology also enables the bank to set criteria and limit the amount of cash at the disposal of each branch.

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