The outcome of the ANCs long-awaited KwaZulu-Natal conference was a win for the Thuma Mina crowd. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
CAPE TOWN, May 26 (ANA) – Absa has launched a new social media app called ChatBanking on the Twitter platform.
The ChatBanking service, which was launched on Thursday, enables Absa customers to do their banking from the comfort of their Twitter account without having to interrupt their tweeting activities.
According to Absa, this is the “first service in Africa which allows you to conduct your day-to-day banking from your Twitter account”.
The bank said the service was convenient, secure and private.
Group Chief Information Officer and Chief Digital Officer at Barclays Africa, Ashley Veasey, said: “The launch of ChatBanking on Twitter shows our commitment to delight our customers and offer them a smooth digital banking experience – from start to finish, in real time and now also on their favourite social media platform.
“As technology advances and more customers become connected, bringing banking to where our customers are is important to us. The launch of ChatBanking follows the momentum created by recent digital innovations such as the ability to do online debit order reversals, our online FICA document upload service, as well as reverse billing for customers who interact with our banking app. We are very proud to be building the future of our bank.”
The service, he said, would “eventually be rolled out to other social media platforms.”
According to Veasey, a recent Nielsen study showed that Twitter, which is the most access social media platform, “is an everyday activity for most South Africans” with up to 61 percent of users visiting Twitter up to five times each day.
Veasey said users’ personal information and account number were protected and not displayed in a chat. “This means that even in the event of your cellphone being stolen or someone gaining access to your Twitter account, they would not be able to abuse the information, the same way that someone who picked up your old ATM slip would not be able to use the information on it.”
– African News Agency (ANA)
Disclaimer: This story is pulled directly from the African News Agency wire, and has not been edited by Mail & Guardian staff. The M&G does not accept responsibility for errors in any statement, quote or extract that may be contained therein.