With over 9,000 cash machines in operation, NoteMachine – part of The Brink’s Company – supplies around 20% of the cash dispensed from all UK ATMs, and processes almost 30 million ATM transactions every month. NoteMachine has built their reputation on results, and their customer service and account management is second to none.
Cash Access UK (CAUK), the organisation set up to protect nationwide access to cash, is
implementing new, multi-bank deposit machines to provide a reliable, quick and easy way for cash-reliant customers and small businesses to pay cash into their accounts and withdraw money. By making it easier for businesses, it should in turn encourage more cash acceptance in the UK.
NoteMachine and CAUK collaboration
In an industry first, major banks have collaborated with NoteMachine to provide an innovative, multi-bank automated deposit service, with the first machine now operational and serving customers in Atherstone in Warwickshire, following bank branch closures in the town.
The new banking pod at Atherstone – known as Brink’s B-POD – will also have a Customer Liaison Officer from CAUK on hand at the pod between 9am-5pm from Monday to Friday, to help customers with their banking queries and to signpost customers to the most appropriate support from their bank.
Steve Makaritis, CEO at NoteMachine, said,
“NoteMachine’s deposit innovation has delivered the first Link deposit solution, offering banks and financial institutions utility banking at their fingertips. Deposit services primarily support small businesses, where there is a higher demand for retailers to be able to deposit takings, or in places where the remaining bank branches don’t offer this service. From a consumer point of view, our deposit functionality gives more choice around access to cash. We look forward to collaborating with CAUK to deliver further innovative solutions.”
B-POD banking pods
B-POD is a customisable, flexible solution that enhances customer engagement, optimises banks’ market presence and streamlines operations, delivering significant cost savings. B-POD is a unique banking solution supplied, installed and fully managed by NoteMachine. It is a bank-branded (white-labelled) small footprint relocatable structure, with the functionality of a traditional bank branch, positioned in a low-cost retail space.
The B-POD banking pods will offer easy access to cash services such as withdrawals, balance enquiries, PIN management to customers of all major banks. They also offer free cash deposits to customers of Bank of Scotland, Halifax, Lloyds, NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank, with more banks to be added soon. The standalone machines will either be in external facing locations available 24/7 or homed within a retail location, such as Tesco or Sainsbury’s supermarkets.
The new deposit machines are initially being trialled in communities where LINK decides improved deposit services are needed. LINK is an independent, regulated company with many years’ experience in assessing cash needs in the community, and they review the impact of every proposed branch closure. Another 102 towns have been earmarked for a deposit solution, with further deposit machines soon to be trialled in 16 more communities.
Gareth Oakley, CEO at Cash Access UK, commented,
“Access to deposit-taking ATMs is vital for cash-reliant UK consumers struggling to access basic banking services, and it’s just as important that businesses who accept cash can bank it too. The banking pod in Atherstone is a really exciting concept, providing the community with both a range of cash services and access to face-to-face support, which we know is important to so many people. By accepting cash deposits from more than one bank, this is the first shared automated deposit solution in the UK.”
Steve Makaritis added,
“We worked collaboratively with Cash Access UK to implement the Atherstone B-POD banking pod, scheduling regular, transparent weekly calls to ensure they were updated with the project’s progress. This is a new space that NoteMachine, with Brink’s, has pioneered, and we played the role of trusted advisor, orchestrating the optimum route for a successful delivery.”