You will not recognise the ATM of five years from now!

We will have moved from a 'hole in the wall' which merely dispenses cash to a customer touch point where one can conduct a host of daily transactions.

There will undoubtedly be far fewer cash withdrawals, which will be replaced with more loading of value onto smart cards. We will still go to the ATM and the number of transactions should stay almost constant. The experience will, however, be far more interactive as banks learn to utilize the ATM as a contact point rather than just a cash dispenser. More diverse functions will be available and I think the ATM will become a more multi-functional device. A large percentage of the services and products which it will provide, will not be bank related. This has already started, with airtime top-up available on most ATM's today. I think it is very much the beginning of a cycle of re-invention of the ATM.

There is no limit to what one will be able to do at the ATM as it will remain a secure, 24 by 7 device with dispensing capacity!

ATMs have been installed in large numbers by banks worldwide. Bank customers have become dependent on the 24 hour availability of cash and as a result the ATM is now one of the highest usage customer contact points a bank has with its customers.

It is an invaluable and currently under utilised opportunity to interact with them.

At the simplest level 'cash and dash' needs to be as efficient as possible, however the channel should be used to communicate or to strategically influence customers. These strategies may be campaigns to drive people into the branch or towards other products that the bank may offer. There is an opportunity to develop the ATM into a customer contact point that interacts on a regular basis with it's customers.