iTnews

NAB plans customer-facing videoconferencing

By Liz Tay on May 7, 2010 10:49AM
NAB plans customer-facing videoconferencing

Bank undergoes “cultural” overhaul.

The National Australia Bank (NAB) may extend an internal communications overhaul to its customers by introducing telepresence and 40-inch videoconferencing machines in various branches.

At a Tandberg customer conference in Sydney yesterday, NAB's wholesale CTO Thor Essman revealed conceptual plans to deploy customer-facing videoconferencing devices.

While plans were far from being concrete, Essman said, the devices could facilitate NAB's wholesale business by letting customers speak with experts at other branches in real time.

The project would extend NAB's Collaborative Workspace Program (CWP), a communications overhaul spanning two-and-a-half years that has already saved the bank "more than six digits", Essman said.

Under the CWP, NAB abandoned its ageing IBM Lotus Notes system for a unified communications suite comprising video conferencing, instant messaging, presence and mobile functionality.

Essman described a cultural transformation from inefficient, "black text on a white page" communications to ad-hoc, on demand meetings with colleagues around the globe.

"It wasn't a technology project; it was mostly about culture," he said about the CWP.

"We had a culture of 'you must be face-to-face to do business', and when you have a global business, that's a ton of travel," he said.

Since the CWP, NAB employees have had 16,247 live meetings, compared with 26,611 two-party video conferences, 10,512 multiparty video conferences, and 2,837,726 instant messages.

Half of NAB's Australian internal meetings, and one third of its global meetings, were now conducted virtually, Essman said, highlighting a 40 percent reduction in travel.

And while efficiency was the bank's primary concern, the CWP also yielded cost savings, boosted its green credentials, and gave employees more flexible working conditions.

"As the CTO of NAB wholesale, I work one day a week from home," Essman said. "I eat my own dog food. Not only do we encourage it [teleworking] - we've nearly mandated it."

Going forward, NAB planned to integrate its Tandberg videoconferencing solutions with its Microsoft Office Communications Server (OCS) and Exchange.

It also planned to integrate its Cisco VOIP system with OCS, and establish secure external access to the network for customers and partners.

Telepresence facilities were also being considered for NAB's large and remote offices, and smaller, 40-inch videoconferencing setups for various branches.

Essman said any new technology would have to be introduced so that usage felt natural and reliable - "like flicking a light switch".

For the CWP project, NAB had spent $800,000 on a training program that only saw two percent adoption.

"People didn't need it," he said.

Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here.
Tags:
cisconabnetworkingstrategytandbergteleworkingucsvideoconferencing

Partner Content

5 essential digital transformation ideas
Promoted Content 5 essential digital transformation ideas
Security "mindset shift" needed to protect organisations
Promoted Content Security "mindset shift" needed to protect organisations
Alienated from your own data? You’re not alone
Promoted Content Alienated from your own data? You’re not alone
Top 5 Benefits of Managed IT Services
Promoted Content Top 5 Benefits of Managed IT Services

Sponsored Whitepapers

Planning before the breach: You can’t protect what you can’t see
Planning before the breach: You can’t protect what you can’t see
Beyond FTP: Securing and Managing File Transfers
Beyond FTP: Securing and Managing File Transfers
NextGen Security Operations: A Roadmap for the Future
NextGen Security Operations: A Roadmap for the Future
Video: Watch Juniper talk about its Aston Martin partnership
Video: Watch Juniper talk about its Aston Martin partnership
Don’t pay the ransom: A three-step guide to ransomware protection
Don’t pay the ransom: A three-step guide to ransomware protection

Events

  • iTnews Benchmark Awards 2022 - Finalist Showcase
  • 11th Annual Fraud Prevention Summit 2022
  • IoT Impact Conference
  • Cyber Security for Government Summit
By Liz Tay
May 7 2010
10:49AM
0 Comments

Related Articles

  • Omicron, semiconductor shortages blow out Cisco’s delivery times
  • Australia Post nears end of massive telco transformation
  • NAB bulks up its digital, data and analytics talent
  • Don't miss Australia’s premiere IoT Conference on 9th June
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Whatsapp Email A Friend

Most Read Articles

NSW digital driver's licences 'easily forgeable'

NSW digital driver's licences 'easily forgeable'

NBN Co's 250Mbps and gigabit growth is finally clear

NBN Co's 250Mbps and gigabit growth is finally clear

Kmart Australia re-platforms ecommerce site to AWS

Kmart Australia re-platforms ecommerce site to AWS

NBN Co sizes up six-figure customer exodus a year to fixed wireless

NBN Co sizes up six-figure customer exodus a year to fixed wireless

Digital Nation

CTO Juergen Mueller offers a glimpse into SAP's metaverse play
CTO Juergen Mueller offers a glimpse into SAP's metaverse play
COVER STORY: Data and IoT set digital agriculture on a sustainable future
COVER STORY: Data and IoT set digital agriculture on a sustainable future
Why do DeFi and DAOs matter to business?
Why do DeFi and DAOs matter to business?
Lendlease launches its own metaverse in Milan
Lendlease launches its own metaverse in Milan
COVER STORY: A Year in the Metaverse
COVER STORY: A Year in the Metaverse
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without prior authorisation.
Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of nextmedia's Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.