More recently, entrepreneurs have taken advantage of the internet to create new services that can be delivered through electronic channels channels accessed by computers in customers’ homes or offices. The following innovations are of particular interest :
- Development of “smat” mobile telephones and PDAs (personal digital assistants) that can link users’ wherever they may be’ to the internet.
- Use of voice recognition technology. which allows customers to give information and request service simply by speaking into a phone or microphone
- Creation of web sites that can provide information, take order, and even serve as a delivery channel for information-based services.
- Commercialization of smart cards containing a microchip that can store detailed information about the customer and act as an electronic purse containing digital money. The ultimate in self-service banking will be when you can not only use a smart card as an electronic wallet for a wide array of transactions but also refill it from a special card reader connected to your computer modem.