The company said it is enabling German card holders to access their account data via SMS text messaging, in a move that is expected to give financial institutions better control and optimization of their payment traffic.
Short messages may be sent via push or pull mode. In the push service, according to the initial situation in question, a corresponding text message is automatically generated and sent to the card holder. In the pull service, the card holder requests and receives information by text from a corresponding number.
In the banking and financial sectors, Atos Origin said these text messages can be used for queries on bank accounts and share prices.
From the banks’ point of view, sending SMS text messages offers numerous advantages. It can further improve customer relationship management and increase the loyalty of bank customers towards their credit institutes, commented Erik Koefoed, Atos Worldline’s managing director in Germany. Furthermore, the use of SMS services can be seen as an additional distribution channel for bank information, particularly when used in tandem with online banking.
