AfriGIS adds location to Standard Bank
AfriGIS, a local location based services company, has developed a mobile service that helps Standard Bank customers to locate the nearest Standard Bank ATM or branch from their cellphone.
Magnus Rademeyer, AfriGIS MD, says the product was developed by geo-coding all of Standard Bank’s ATM and branch information onto AfriGIS’ map server and then making it available through Standard Bank’s mobile website at www.standardbank.mobi.
"The mobisite not only locates the nearest ATMs and branches for the customer but also provides directions on how to get there as well, either on-screen or via an SMS. On Vodacom, the ATM locater picks up which base station the cellphone is connected to and then looks for the closest ATM or branches in that area. MTN is currently implementing similar technology, while on CellC, the customer has to specify their location," he says.
The nearest nine ATMs or branches are then listed or alternatively, the customer can enter in a starting point and then search for ATMs or branches closest to the point they have entered.
Should the location of an ATM or branch be incorrectly positioned on the map, the customer can send feedback through the mobile site so that AfriGIS can ensure that the co-ordinates are corrected, Rademeyer says.
"Applications like this will become increasingly important to consumers on the move, as the need to conveniently find specific locations grows. We should soon see retailers, healthcare facilities and petrol stations offering similar applications," he says.
Angus Robinson, CEO of Brandsh Media, Standard Bank’s mobile and social media agency, says that Standard Bank is the first financial services company in South Africa to launch such a service.
"What is key about location based services like the ATM and branch locater is that they enable companies to analyse which areas requests are coming from or what manual searches are being made. This information can then be integrated with the company’s planning to determine where future infrastructure could be rolled out to customers. Mobile-based utilities such as locator’s and finance calculators will make mobisites that much more useful to both existing and potential customers," he says.
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