HSBC Bank and SoftBank Robotics Bring Bank of the Future Experience to Miami

Launch of Pepper, the Social Humanoid Robot, Is First Retail Banking Deployment in South Florida

HSBC Bank USA, N.A., (HSBC), part of HSBC Group, one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organizations, and SoftBank Robotics America (SBRA), \announced the launch of Pepper, the humanoid robot, in its branch in Miami’s Brickell neighborhood. This is the first time that Pepper has been deployed at a retail bank in the state of Florida, a milestone for the booming tech industry in Miami.

“Miami is an up and coming hub for innovation and is a natural fit for this unique banking experience that is enriched by human-robot interactions.”

“Miami’s tech scene is experiencing positive growth and we see a lot of opportunity for disruption in the region,” said Pablo Sanchez, Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management for HSBC in the US and Canada. “Our customers in South Florida will have a chance to experience an entirely new way of banking thanks to Pepper. It’s an exciting next step for us as we continue to expand the number of branches that have these capabilities.”

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Pepper will allow bank staff to have deeper, more high-value customer engagements by encouraging and educating consumers on basic product information, the availability of self-service banking options, and asking relevant questions to determine a customer’s banking needs.

Last year, HSBC became the first financial institution in the United States to bring SoftBank Robotics’ Pepper to retail banking when it launched the robot at the HSBC flagship branch in Manhattan. Since then, the bank has continued to rollout Pepper in branches across the country, including Beverly Hills and Seattle, all of which have seen a significant increase in branch activity, ATM transaction volumes and new credit card applications. The bank has also seen an overall increase in new business as a result of more than 25,000 total customer interactions with Pepper.

“The digital banking experience is transforming as quickly as the smartphone revolution took off,” said Jeremy Balkin, Head of Innovation at HSBC. “Pepper’s rollout is part of our larger vision to transform HSBC’s branch banking experience into the ‘Branch of the Future,’ by providing a host of consumer-facing upgrades that will take the franchise in an exciting new direction. By creating these revolutionary new types of digitally enhanced retail banking experiences that use data intelligence and leading edge robotics, HSBC is transforming the everyday task of a branch visit into a memorable and extraordinary experience.”

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Some key features of Pepper’s Miami rollout include:

• Notify a banker – Pepper will communicate directly with bank staff based on customers’ answers to qualifying questions. HSBC’s goal is to reduce customer waiting time and free up the valuable time of their skilled bankers to deliver a more personalized service.
• Tutorials and instructions – As HSBC rolls out bank branches of the future, customers need to be kept up-to-date on the latest banking technologies, products and services. Pepper provides information on ATMs, the HSBC Mobile Banking app, self-service options, customer support and more. By educating and encouraging the use of technical tools and platforms available to HSBC customers, bank staff will have deeper, more meaningful customer engagements.
• Products and services – Pepper will be used to drive attention to and awareness of HSBC products and services, including special promotions, so that customers can be better informed, facilitating more productive interactions with HSBC Relationship Managers. Pepper can now also send customers links via text message or email to HSBC’s website, if they choose, to learn more and apply online (right from their phones) for one of HSBC’s various products, such as credit cards.
• #PoseWithPepper – Pepper is all about making the retail banking experience fun and enjoyable for customers. HSBC launched a campaign to visit Pepper and #PoseWithPepper for a selfie. Customers and visitors are encouraged to upload their photos to their favorite social media channels using the hashtags #MeetPepper and #PoseWithPepper.

“As we’ve already seen in HSBC’s Fifth Avenue, Beverly Hills and Seattle branches, Pepper provides services that truly elevate the retail banking experience for both visitors and staff,” said Kass Dawson, Head of Marketing and Business Strategy, SoftBank Robotics America. “Miami is an up and coming hub for innovation and is a natural fit for this unique banking experience that is enriched by human-robot interactions.”

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