So-so ATM Locator
Posted Thu, 5 Oct 2006 15:25:54 EDT by Ken Hyers
MasterCard rolled out a new ATM location service today. The service lets mobile phone users call a number (877-Find-ATM) and get an address for the nearest ATM. Users can choose to have the address read to them, or to have it sent, via SMS, to their mobile phones.
MasterCard says that two million cardholders contact MasterCard each year to get directions to an ATM and that the new service will be a boon, especially to users who are traveling. Having frequently found myself asking for directions to an ATM while traveling, I thought the service sounded useful, so decided to give it a try.
The service uses automated voice recognition technology supplied by Convergys. The service used caller-ID to determine where my phone was registered and asked if I wanted to find ATMs in that city. I choose to have it find an ATM somewhere else. The service asked me to provide an address or a cross-street, so I gave it my address. It then gave me 17 different ATM locations to choose from. The first ATM was several miles away so that was no use, but the next return was for an ATM that was just down the road. The service asked if I chose to have the address for the ATM sent to my mobile via SMS, which I did. The SMS arrived and I had my address to the ATM.
So what did I think of the service? Well, it did what it promised – it provided me with the address of the closest ATM (as well as offering to provide me with the locations of 16 other ATMs that were sometimes not at all close). However, I was disappointed that it didn’t provide me with directions from my address to the ATM. I envision using a service like this while I’m traveling to an unfamiliar place, and so often will have no idea how to get to the address provided without directions. Also, the service uses a toll-free number for the
I think the concept behind the ATM locator service is good – provide a way for mobile users to find an ATM while traveling. But why force them to engage in a four minute phone call when the same service could be provided by SMS short-code or WAP session? And why not provide directions when a user provides their exact address? My feeling is that MasterCard has recognized the problem, but hasn’t yet figured out the ideal solution.
Update (10-12-06): I had a chance to talk with Jon Cetnarski of MasterCard Advisors about the ATM locator and share some of my thoughts about the current functionality of the service. Jon acknowledged that there were some limitations to the locator service. As far as accessing the locator while traveling overseas, he mentioned that card-holders can dial local MC helplines which will patch the caller through to the locator by dialing the collect number on the back of card-holders cards. As far as getting directions for the ATM, he mentioned that data necessary for providing directions isn’t available for all countries, and since MC likes to roll out services on a global basis, they will wait until that functionality is available for all countries (!) before rolling directions out (OK – he punted on this – direction data is available for quite a number of countries – so wouldn’t it be nice if they provided directions for those regions, at least?). Finally, he mentioned that they are working on adding a short code to make it easier to access the data.
The take-away for this is that MC currently makes ATM location information available via WAP, the Internet, and through the voice service. Eventually they’ll roll out directions and short codes, but not yet. So I’ll give credit where it’s due, but urge MasterCard to keep pushing on this to make it even more useful for travelers.