Santander Bank customers can now talk to their SmartBank app and ask about their card transactions, eliminating the need to manually search through statements to identify retailers and calculate spend.
In a phase one roll-out of the voice assisted technology developed by natural language communications firm Nuance, iOS users of the SmartBank app can ask simple questions about their card spend such as:
- How much did I spend on New Year’s Eve?
- Show my transactions for the last week
- How much did I spend on Café Nero this month?
- Where did I spend the most money this month?
In a second phase, due for release later this year, customer will be able to fully service their accounts. This includes advanced features such as the ability to make payments, report lost cards, set up account alerts and answer a broad range of questions about spend.
Nathan Bostock, chief executive officer Santander UK says: “Technology is rapidly changing how customers bank and pay on the move. We want banking to be simple, personal and fair and we believe technology, like voice banking, will play a transformational role in the way we add value.”
Transactions appear in real time, retailers are highlighted by name, spend can be calculated by day, month or year and customers with a 1I2I3 credit card can also ask about the cashback they have earned. If users wish to know the total amount spent at a certain supermarket or store this year, the tool adds it up for them, saving them time having to trawl through transactions.
Sigga Sigurdardottir, head of customer and innovation at Santander says: “The more customers use it, the more intuitive it becomes. We believe it has huge potential to become an integral part of the future banking experience.”