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Woman v. Drive-up ATM v. Bonus ATM!
Author: Jeannie Walters
November 30, 2007
Chase Bank
To be fair, I’ve used Chase Bank’s ATMs for several years, (if you include when I was a customer of First Chicago, which became Bank One, which is now Chase.) I do like that they keep improving. I remember having to open my car door and stretch to reach the dang thing several years ago. They repositioned them so they are now accessible for this 5’4” woman, both from my low Honda Accord and my high Honda CRV, (yes, we’re a Honda family.) ATM screens are also more glare-resistant, and industry-wide adoptions of phrases like “Fast Cash” now allow for speedier transactions.
It seems like (gasp) banks are listening to customers. Just think about all those wasted receipts years ago. Now, most offer you a choice. Do you want a receipt? It’s a simple question, but one that makes a big difference.
Ok, so most of my transactions at ATMs are withdrawals and I find the whole process really intuitive. It seems that some of my frustrations from a few years ago have been addressed.
Chase ATMs are practically on every street corner in Chicago, and yet there isn’t one very close to either my home or office. In fact, the closest one to my office is in the Chicago Transit Authority building. There are so many things wrong with this location it’s crazy. The ATM is located inside the sales office on the second floor of the building. This means you can only use it during sales office hours. Isn’t one of the touted benefits of ATMs that you can use them 24/7? Also, the ATM is along the wall, right next to the long line of unhappy people waiting to purchase fare cards.
So, aside from that small rant, I’d say these machines are pretty good.
| Machine Tested | Usability Criteria | Score / Grade |
|---|---|---|
| ATM — Deposit and Withdrawal | Orientation / Wayfinding | A: What’s not to love about the linear process? The only drawback is excessive choices on the selection screen. |
| Search / Help Features | C: Hmmm … what would I do if I needed something? Probably just CANCEL and start over. Not exactly user-friendly. | |
| Legibility | A: Chase gets an A for most improved in this category. Remember the days of guessing which arrow to hit? The non-glare screens and large buttons make the selection process super easy. | |
| Intuitiveness | B: Today, ATMs are as intuitive as the telephone, but there is still need for improvement here. How about using the keypad more effectively? | |
| Ease of Use | A: If ATMs weren’t easy to use, you’d still see long lines at the teller windows. Did you know tellers used to be real people? Can you imagine getting money from someone who counted it out for you? How very 1980s. |
And the Jeannie factors:
Cleanliness: D — Yuck. There is often a mysterious sheen on the touch screen that you just can’t let yourself think about too much. What about offering screen wipes and/or hand sanitizer? What about a recycle bin for receipts? I swear I’m not a germaphobe – but sometimes I do reach for the Purell after a withdrawal.
Feeling secure: B — Banks know this is a key factor. Why not put the drive-up ATMs closer to the building instead of out in the boonies? Better lighting at night would be great too.
Convenience: A — This is a resounding YES! I can’t remember the last time I got out of my car to get a few bucks from my bank account.
Environmental Factors: B — This is another dramatically improved area. Today’s ATM layout allows for more comfortable and speedier transactions. You don’t see the lady in front of you falling out of her car to reach the ATM any more.
This was one bank, what about yours? Is Chase ahead of the game?
Next up … Airline Self-Service Kiosks!
2 Comments »
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I agree that the help features could be a little more helpful. But it still irks me that once I put my card in, it still asks me if I want to proceed in English or Spanish. Can’t there be a way to create a default so I don’t have to answer this every single time? Sure, it’s just one more button push but it’s an annoying one!
Comment by Anne — December 12, 2007 @ 3:22 pm
If you have an account with Chase you can choose your ATM language online. They list like 7 language options. You can do this on the website in the Customer Center. There are a few more ATM settings you can customize there, like defaulting to always or never printing a receipt.
I don’t know about other banks though, if they let you customize your ATM experience at all.
Comment by Robert Wyatt — January 3, 2008 @ 5:14 pm