Royal Bank of Canada has turned to technology to address what they say is an “important customer service need”: translations services. Starting at the end of August, when a customer walks into an RBC branch and needs a translator to help him/her communicate, the teller will pull out an iPad and start a one-on-one video chat, reports ITBusiness.
The bank has previously used translation services provided by Monterey, Calif.-based LanguageLine Solutions LLC, but that was over the phone. With the help of the iPad, the same company will provide real-time translation services over video in 14 different languages, including American Sign Language. The service is available at all RBC locations, the bank said.
“This technology has made the country a whole lot smaller,” says Jamie Clinch, regional vice-president of Halton North for RBC. “RBC’s brand is very focused on advice, and communication and advice go hand in hand.”
The translation service is the result of a collaboration between RBC’s applied innovation and development team, and LanguageLine’s real-time translation app. LanguageLine offers an app that is customisable to the client’s needs, and communication through the app is secured and encrypted.
The app also offers a sort of whiteboard method of communication: It allows users to draw on the screen.
According to RBC, the video translation service has already been used three times during the first week of operation, and they say that as more people know of its existence, the more likely the usage is to increase.
