Australia's Westpac is trialling videoconferencing technology at some branches that lets deaf and hard of hearing customers have conversations with Australian sign language (Auslan) interpreters.
The six week trial will take place at Westpac and St George Bank branches in the Sydney suburb of Penrith. Customers will be able to connect with qualified Auslan interpreters through an email booking system and then have real-time conversations over high-speed video conferencing tech.
Westpac Chief Operating Officer John Arthur, COO, Westpac, says: "The trial is an important step to help break down the communication barriers experienced by many of our deaf and hard of hearing customers, and we're proud to be the first financial institution to offer it to customers."