The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has become the first bank in the country to launch a facility that enables the Bank’s account holders and non-customers alike to seamlessly enjoy real-time banking services delivered through an interactive artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot on Viber.
With the launch of this service, Viber users can benefit from uninterrupted banking services any day of the week, including on holidays, from wherever they are, the Bank said. ‘Bank with ComBank on Viber’ eliminates the need for customers to visit a Commercial Bank branch for basic banking services.
Commenting on this pioneering move to cater to Viber users in the country, Commercial Bank's Managing Director Mr S. Renganathan said: “Sri Lanka is among the top five markets for Viber in the Asia Pacific region with over 15 million registered users. Offering banking services on this popular platform is a logical step for a technologically advanced bank that is focused on serving its customers with solutions that are relevant to the times. This is also another milestone in the Bank’s Social Network Banking operations.”
To begin using ‘Bank with ComBank on Viber’ interested parties first have to install the Viber app on their smartphones from the ‘App Store’ or ‘Google Play’ and search for the ‘Bank with ComBank on Viber’ bot. Account-holders can access a host of services including checking their account balances, viewing account history, and requesting a cheque book, while both customers and non-customers can ask for fixed deposit rates and foreign exchange rates, self-register with the ComBank Digital app, open a new account through the Flash Digital Bank Account, or even apply for Personal Loans, Home Loans, and Leasing facilities via ‘Bank with ComBank on Viber.’
David Tse, Senior Director, APAC, Rakuten Viber noted: “We are proud to be part of this unique milestone of partnering with Commercial Bank as the first bank in the country to launch seamless and secure banking facilities via Viber for its customers. As a pioneering local bank, Commercial Bank recognises that innovation is key to improving customer experiences, and through Viber they can provide an accessible, interactive channel for customers, reimagining customer service using technology.”
‘Bank with ComBank on Viber’ was introduced to encourage the Bank’s non-digital customers who are also Viber users to embrace digital banking through ComBank Digital, inspire potential customers with Viber to open ‘Flash’ Accounts, and to invite anyone to obtain hassle-free credit facilities from the Bank.
The ground-breaking service was launched by Commercial Bank in direct collaboration with Viber and with the support of hSenid Mobile – a pioneer in Telco API Management Platforms – that developed the Viber chatbot for the Bank.
Commercial Bank had previously launched a sticker series on the platform, enabling users to send messages with 24 different expressions. Some of these stickers and emoticons used banking-associated lingo in funny dispositions and situations, and could be readily inserted into day-to-day chats.
Viber is a calling and messaging app that connects people – no matter who they are, or where they’re from. Each month, hundreds of millions of people connect, for free, with their loved ones via messaging, high-quality voice and video calls, and more. All one-on-one Viber calls and personal chats, and all group chats are protected by built-in end-to-end encryption, so users can be sure that their conversations are always secure.
Sri Lanka’s first fully carbon-neutral bank, the first Sri Lankan bank to be listed among the Top 1000 Banks of the World and the only Sri Lankan bank to be so listed for 11 years consecutively, Commercial Bank operates a network of 268 branches and 931 automated machines in Sri Lanka. The Bank’s overseas operations encompass Bangladesh, where the Bank operates 19 outlets; Myanmar, where it has a Microfinance company in Nay Pyi Taw; and the Maldives, where the Bank has a fully-fledged Tier I Bank with a majority stake.