Transcript
Hi, my name’s Jeff, and I'm with Arca. I'm here today to talk to you about Teller Cash Recycler Integration. When considering how to implement Teller Cash Recycler technology in your branches, it's important to keep in mind a few basic fundamental elements of integration. They include: ease of use, cost, functionality, and scalability. At the end of the day, no two branch environments are alike. So, it's important that you understand the environmental conditions that are unique to you, so that you can make the right decision. Let's take a brief look at three basic options and their unique pros and cons.
The first integration method, and honestly the most common, is the standalone application. In a standalone environment, the teller application doesn't communicate directly with the Teller Cash Recycler itself. There’s a separate piece of application software loaded at the local level that the teller toggles back and forth from. When they make a transaction in their teller application, they toggle back and duplicate that transaction in a standalone application. The benefits of the standalone application are quite clear. They're easy to use. They're low cost in the right implementation sizes. Unfortunately, you do have to double key, so there is an opportunity for error. And scalability is difficult -- the ability to take and implement a large number of standalone devices can be a challenge. Generally, we see standalone is a perfect opportunity to automate a backroom, or to automate a vault outside of the teller line.
The next option is what we like to call the soft interface. In the soft interface environment, you've got this local application but it creates the ability for that application to talk directly to the device. In other words, unlike in the standalone environment where you've got two separate applications, the application that's soft interface -- essentially the translator between the device and the teller application -- is entirely transparent to the end user, save for one basic function. It's still easy to use, it's still low cost. You have the opportunity to leverage all of the functionality of a Teller Cash Recycler. Unfortunately, the only extra step -- and it's nominal -- is the need to do an additional buy or sell, depending upon the way you've use the device during the day to reconcile. Again, much like the standalone application, because you have to license it per seat or per unit, there are some considerations relative to scalability.
Last and certainly not least, is the Direct Integration method. In a Direct Integration environment, the teller application makes commands and receives command status directly from the device itself. There’s a hard coded interface between the hardware and the software. The benefit of the direct environment is transparent use. It's extremely easy to use. In fact, there’s little to no change in the way that the tellers go about their business in a non-automated or a manual environment. It's extremely scalable, because you write the code once and you can distribute that throughout your entire branch network, and it's stable. Generally, these are high quality integration efforts.
Now unfortunately, you can experience some limited functionality. In a direct coded environment, you're gated by what the teller application itself is designed to allow. Essentially, you've got very basic deposit and withdrawal functionality. Unlike in the soft interface in the standalone environment where activities like cash counting and cash sorting can be handled offline, or can be handled by an application specifically designed to optimize the use of a Teller Cash Recycler.
When it comes down to it, there is no one right or wrong answer. The most important element of making a wise Teller Cash Recycler Integration decision is understanding those characteristics about your organization that make your teller environment, your branch environment, unique. There really is no wrong answer to this question. There’s an opportunity for you at the end of the day to weigh ease of use, cost functionality, scalability, and make a decision that fits your unique environment.