Sharpen bank-client relationships with smart client technology

The Internet was born out of the US Department of Defence`s need for a decentralised, self-healing and resistant network that could survive nuclear attack on major US cities.

With phenomenal speed and acceptance, it has grown into a public, co-operative and independent network that enables a continuous stream of new technology that benefits business, customer relationships and life in general. Smart client technology is one such example.

It enables organisations to architect their own smart, flexible and convenient applications that can be used to improve their internal processes, customer services and customer relationship management. Their customers can use these same or similar applications to better manage their personal affairs.

The technology and its applications offer businesses and individuals the best of the traditional desktop and thin client environment, without the negative aspects that weigh down these environments separately. It provides highly responsive software with sophisticated features; it presents greater opportunities for developers to enhance existing applications or create new ones; and it enables the economical use of computing resources such as memory and processors. It also facilitates improvements in working with applications when disconnected from the network.

Smart client technology was coined as such to highlight the difference between rich client applications and the next generation of client applications.

Most client applications developed in the 1990s were standalone and operated on the client machine, regardless of the operating environment and other applications on that machine. Integration between applications was limited. As technology progressed, two-tier applications appeared, allowing multiple users to access common data that resided on the network.

However, the problem of reliable and secure deployment arose as client applications became increasingly more complex. The Internet presented a "solution" to this problem, enabling the development of thin client browser-based applications that could be deployed and updated centrally.

Although thin client applications represented a good way to expose a company`s information and services to internal and external users, it came at the price of reduced usability and functionality. Application responsiveness also diminished; and the technology came under fire by users demanding faster and more responsive applications with which to perform their desired operations, both work and personal. And so was born smart client technology.

Smart client solutions are composed of functionality from more than one client application, with applications collaborating to provide the demanded levels of usability. The applications can be built to run on most of the client platforms on the market today, including PDAs, smart phones, tablet PCs and laptops.

Characteristics of smart client applications include:

* Economical use of local hardware and software resources;
* Improved interaction with Web services that provide access to data or line-of-business applications;
* The ability to operate in occasional or intermittent connectivity situations;
* The management of deployment and updates in intelligent ways; and
* Client device flexibility.

A survey conducted in 2004 on behalf of the Canadian Bankers Association revealed that the percentage of Canadians banking primarily through the Internet had tripled over the past four years, and although the South African statistics would likely reflect a situation slightly lagging, the uptake of Internet banking in the country has still been remarkable.

As such, the banking sector is presented with numerous opportunities to improve its internal business processes, enhance services to customers, and add value to customer relationships using smart client technology.

Internally, smart client applications enable a holistic personal experience that focuses on an individual`s needs while benefiting the employer as well. This is possible through the creation of a seamless way for employees to work with information affecting their personal life, financial well-being and their career.

Using smart client applications, an employee can submit his leave application to HR, trace the application as it moves through the process, and then receive notification of whether the leave has been approved or not, all online and away from the office if necessary.

Implemented as a value-added service to customers, smart client applications enable effective two-way communication between the customer and the bank, increasing the bank`s ability to offer clients the right services that best suit their life circumstances, and to cross-sell services where appropriate.

Such applications provide the customer with the means to effectively manage their personal finances. Using smart client applications, a person can be informed of a salary deposit, suggestions can be offered on ways to better structure that salary, and information can be provided on what debit orders are due to be deducted for that month.

With the smart client application, a person can view his bank statements at the click of a button and make electronic queries should he find anything out of the ordinary. If his credit needs change, he can use the application to help accurately define his needs and then submit applications where necessary. He can do this from anywhere in the world, as long as he has an Internet connection and is a registered user of the smart client applications.

A person may indicate he is planning to take leave, so the application presents him with links to travel agents and destinations; and it assists him in working out the budgets for the holiday.

Smart client technology takes Internet banking and online services to the next level; it provides tools with which to improve customer relationships; and it enables advancements in internal processes. All round, embracing smart client technology would be the smart thing to do.