-- Enhanced customer interaction through remote expert support in the bank branch or in new market penetration -- Intercompany collaboration (for example, bank to outsource partner) -- Internal efficiencies through reduced travel and consistent executive communicationsAt Bank of Montreal (BMO), enhancing internal collaboration, reducing travel costs and taking a green approach were at the top of its agenda. "BMO Financial Group has offices in Canada and around the world, and our employees log more than 60 million miles per year on business travel. At last, Cisco TelePresence video conferencing presents a real alternative to meeting face-to-face, and thanks to the high-resolution images in the technology, it's almost as if you were in the same room," said BMO's Michael Thornburrow, senior vice president, Corporate Real Estate & Strategic Sourcing. "Cisco TelePresence is an important contribution to our plan to achieve carbon neutrality, and it will help us remove tons of CO2 emissions from the atmosphere every year. The Cisco team has been great partners on this project at every step along the way." Optimized Self-Service Solution integrates bank client access channels, such as kiosks, PDAs, cell phones, Internet, and voice response (telephone), to provide a consistent quality user experience to banking clients. Optimized Self-Service integrates delivery channels using tested and integrated Cisco® Unified Communications Manager and IBM Lotus® offerings. Contact Center integration provides the ability to quickly identify and locate subject-matter experts to provide efficient customer service through voice or video interaction that is delivered to the channel the client is using. "Building on our focused collaboration, IBM and Cisco are providing our joint banking clients with the innovative offerings in telepresence and self-service technologies to help banks cost-effectively improve sales and service delivery in response to customers' anytime-anywhere banking needs," said Paul Jameson, director of marketing for Financial Services, Cisco. "Banks may improve collaboration with customers to enhance the relationship through the delivery of more personalized products and services." "We are working closely with partners such as Cisco to help our banking clients as they strive to provide a consistently excellent customer experience and quality of service across all channels, whether in the branch or via phone, Internet, video, telepresence or however," said Sunny Banerjea, global solutions executive, IBM Banking Industry. "While self-service channels can give you greater reach and lower the cost of service, they can also distance you from your customers. However, with IBM and Cisco Front Office Solutions for Retail Banking, banks have the communications technologies, collaborative capabilities, and rich digital media to allow them to provide their self-service customers with a more 'high touch' experience." The IBM and Cisco Front Office Solutions for Retail Banking are now generally available from IBM and Cisco. The companies will demonstrate the solutions at the 2008 BAI Retail Banking Conference and Expo, Nov. 18-20, in Orlando, Fla., at booths 1300 (IBM) and 1311 (Cisco). For more information about IBM and Cisco Front Office Solutions for Retail Banking, visit www.ibm.com/cisco or www.cisco.com/go/ibm. About Cisco Cisco (
Contact Information: Press Contact(s) Pamela Ferrill Cisco Systems, Inc. +1 408 527-9076 parupert@cisco.com Bill Mew IBM +44 207 202-5769 mewb@uk.ibm.com Industry Analyst Relations Laura Irwin Cisco Systems, Inc. + 1 408 853-8876 lirwin@cisco.com Seena Peck IBM +1 917 472-3295 speck@us.ibm.com