Technology

I’ve been having problems printing tickets for a Virgin Train I’m travelling on today, so I called their call centre.  After going through the menu pick system, I got a message in an Indian voice stating: "Due to technical difficulties, we are unable to answer your call at the moment." I wondered if this is…

I’ve been having problems printing tickets for a Virgin Train I’m travelling on today, so I called their call centre.  After going through the menu pick system, I got a message in an Indian voice stating: "Due to technical difficulties, we are unable to answer your call at the moment." I wondered if this is…

I’ve spent the last few weeks wondering about the fallout from the Lehman Brothers collapse and the onward losses in the stock markets. With $2.5 trillion of losses estimated by the Bank of England amongst the banking community, and over $3 trillion pumped into the system so far, you do wonder about the long-term. However,…

I’ve spent the last few weeks wondering about the fallout from the Lehman Brothers collapse and the onward losses in the stock markets. With $2.5 trillion of losses estimated by the Bank of England amongst the banking community, and over $3 trillion pumped into the system so far, you do wonder about the long-term. However,…

I’ve spent the last few weeks wondering about the fallout from the Lehman Brothers collapse and the onward losses in the stock markets. With $2.5 trillion of losses estimated by the Bank of England amongst the banking community, and over $3 trillion pumped into the system so far, you do wonder about the long-term. However,…

A year ago, I talked about how unusable the Xiring terminals were and have seen loads of blogs and commentaries about how impractical these terminals are in everyday life since then.  Thank goodness Visa has now integrated one-time passwords into their cards.  Meanwhile, I'm stuck with UK banks who insist that we use these darned…

Yesterday I posed the question branch or internet, and made it an extreme choice. Everyone says you would never have such a stark choice, but there was reason in my madness and the reason is that we are caught in a wave of the second internet boom.  Are we in danger of repeating the mistakes…

Last year, I got into a long debate about investments in branches versus alternative channels, so I thought I would get into that debate again a year on … but with a twist.Today, if a bank does not have IP networking as the core wiring for the organisation, then they will miss a trick because…

Last year, I got into a long debate about investments in branches versus alternative channels, so I thought I would get into that debate again a year on … but with a twist.Today, if a bank does not have IP networking as the core wiring for the organisation, then they will miss a trick because…

Whilst several banks have been hit and buffered by the storms of the credit crisis, with a few sinking with loss of jobs, there are one or two banks that have been sailing through this storm with determination and focus. A few were derided when the storm set in, such as Citi who I mentioned…