If you’ve ever clicked on the help section of your bank’s website and been frustrated by the abundance of answers, none of them addressing the problem that sent you there in the first place, you’re in luck – at least, if you’re a customer of Tangerine Bank.
The Toronto-based direct bank, formerly known as ING Direct, launched a new service called Secure Chat on Jan. 7 that, true to its name, allows users on the company’s website to request aid from customer service representatives using a real-time instant messaging interface without having to worry if their personal information could be compromised.
“It was only natural that we wanted to provide another simple and secure way for our clients to get in touch with us,” a Tangerine representative told ITBusiness.ca. “With Secure Chat, clients can now easily connect with a Tangerine associate to conduct their daily banking… without having to call in.”
While real-time instant messaging features have been a fixture on Canadian banking websites for some time now, Tangerine is the first to offer the service without restricting the questions customers can ask. To ensure user privacy, it utilizes a custom Genesys-powered platform co-developed with IBM.
Secure Chat is currently available only on Tangerine’s website, though the company hopes to add the service to its mobile banking app in the near future.
In the meantime, users who log into Tangerine’s website will suddenly have a much easier time figuring out where to click next.