The challenges faced by Ukrainians during the ongoing full-scale invasion constantly emphasize that ensuring the uninterrupted operation of traditional banking services is critically important for the country: ATMs, terminals, POS-terminals.
According to the NBU, the number of non-cash transactions in Ukraine is constantly increasing. In the third quarter of 2023, the number of transactions (both non-cash and cash withdrawals) using payment cards issued by Ukrainian banks amounted to 1,972.5 million. Also, the number of active POS terminals in the trade and service network is growing: an increase of 17.1% in September compared to January 2023. The ATM network is gradually being restored, with a 1.3% increase (up to 15.8 thousand units) in the third quarter of 2023.
How is continuous banking ensured in the conditions of war in Ukraine? The company RENOME SMART shares its expertise.
Background
RENOME SMART has been operating in the fintech sector for over 30 years. Alongside developing new software solutions for Ukrainian and foreign banking, the company has a robust service department throughout Ukraine, serving over 8,000 self-service devices and approximately 33,000 POS terminals.
POS Terminal Service
In its operations, the company’s service department consistently maintains the functionality of clients’ banking equipment at a level exceeding 95%, adhering to SLA conditions even in the midst of full-scale war. Among the crucial factors enabling a consistently high level of service are the effective internal structure of the service department and well-established collaboration with partners (banks).
“In the realm of banking services, it is exceptionally important to prioritize client orientation. This is not just a catchy phrase but a years-refined, effective cooperation model. While our company has certain standard operating procedures, they are customized for each partner. We develop a collaboration scheme that is comfortable and clear for all participants in the process, from POS users to terminal owners and service engineers ensuring their functionality. Effective collaboration helps ensure uninterrupted banking,” explains Alla Kyrhyzova, the Head of the Banking Department at RENOME SMART.
How the service works from within
The key to quality service support for the company lies in the symbiosis of the monitoring service and service engineers.
“One direction complements the other. Monitoring centre attempts to restore the operation of equipment remotely and do everything possible, for example, to make an ATM or POS terminal work without the need for a service engineer visit. On the other hand, only service engineers, in case of a serious malfunction, can on-site determine what happened and adjust the operation of the equipment,” says Mykhailo Rudik, head of the monitoring service at RENOME SMART.
The monitoring centre conducts remote monitoring of banking equipment under service maintenance. Department employees are the first to react to incoming incidents, determine their cause, and seek solutions, involving other departments such as service engineers, employees of the central bank’s electronic commerce unit, cash collection service, and more.
In the work of the monitoring service, the in-house developed software solution by RENOME SMART is exceptionally important. The monitoring agent is installed on ATMs, self-service kiosks, and deposit safes serviced by the company. It allows monitoring the operability of devices, quickly reacting when something goes wrong, and remotely restoring the operation of malfunctioning equipment whenever possible. Thus, the monitoring service remotely covers 30% of potential service engineer visits in case of issues with self-service devices, and in the work with POS terminals, this figure will be significantly higher.
Monitoring centre
The company has its own internal service desk that helps the monitoring team process incoming incidents. In this way, each software solution and individual complement each other and are an integral part of the monitoring system.
“Throughout the day, the monitoring centre processes thousands of incidents. Considering such a large number of incidents and years of experience, we have many described and automated work scenarios. Of course, unique cases occur that require original solutions, but we know how to deal with them,” summarizes Mykhailo Rudik.
In addition to software solutions, experience plays a crucial role in ensuring uninterrupted banking, as the company has learned to overcome almost any challenges over its 33 years of operation.
Fieldwork: how service engineers operate
Constant missile strikes, adverse weather conditions, and hacker attacks on key infrastructure become additional factors that can cause disruptions in the operation of banking equipment. Alongside partner banks, RENOME SMART’s service was the first to start operating in de-occupied territories. Engineers work in areas affected by enemy shelling so that Ukrainians can withdraw money, deposit funds, make transfers, and pay for goods and services.
Damaged equipment after shelling (Borova, Kharkiv Oblast)
The realities of today underscore the importance of high-quality hardware service support (ATMs, terminals, POS terminals, etc.), which often goes unnoticed.
“Our service department performs an average of 400-500 trips per day. When a powerful hacker attack occurred on Kyivstar, causing problems with mobile and internet communication, this number almost doubled (approximately around 800 trips). When there is a need to increase the efficiency of the service department by almost half, the SS.Mobile application primarily helps us. It allows us to manage the workload of service engineers and optimize routes,” explains Dmytro Mukhin, Head of the Banking Equipment Service Department at RENOME SMART.
The mobile application SS.Mobile is also the company’s own development. Essentially, it is a service engineer’s workplace on a smartphone. The application shows the tasks that need to be performed, plots the optimal route (supplementing it if necessary), and provides reminders of deadlines, etc. It is a very convenient tool, as essentially the entire management process takes place on the smartphone.
Mobile Application for Service Engineers
Since the company’s service department operates throughout Ukraine, the principle of regional servicing is crucial to ensuring uninterrupted banking. Each service engineer has their own territorial zone of responsibility. The experience of a service engineer who is familiar with their area, devices, and routes plays a role, making it convenient and allowing for the most efficient task execution.
The so-called “zip kit” – a well-thought-out set of equipment and spare parts carried by the company’s service engineers – also helps optimize work.
“We once conducted an analysis of the most common breakdowns in banking equipment. We examined which specific parts we replace and found that a significant percentage of breakdowns could be fixed immediately if the service engineer had the right details. So, thanks to the zip kit, we optimized a significant percentage of the work,” adds Dmytro Mukhin.
The spare parts logistics department monitors and forecasts their usage. According to this statistics, it is possible to provide timely and high-quality service with spare parts.
Logistics of Spare Parts
If needed, for consultation regarding job execution, service engineers can turn to the company’s competent centre. The experts in this department provide expert recommendations regarding all equipment under service: ATMs, IPTs, POS terminals, office service, etc.
Also crucial in the service department’s work is the internal help desk department. Its employees assist service engineers in meeting deadlines, working with reporting, and ensuring compliance with commitments to clients.
Transformation of Service
The service is changing and adapting along with Ukrainian banking. Innovations help streamline routine work and improve the quality of service delivery.
Despite the challenges of today, the company is moving towards using more environmentally friendly modes of transportation. In 2023, they started implementing the work of engineers using electric cars.
Use of Electric Cars
Moreover, there is an increasing presence of women in the profession. Previously, resumes from women usually did not come in for service engineer vacancies, although the company never had a policy regarding gender-based job allocation. Currently, in RENOME SMART, three women work in the service of POS terminals, performing their work with high qualifications and quality.
Service Engineers Hanna (left) and Khrystyna (right)
“In the first months of work, there was a bit of panic. Not everything is memorized during training, although it is very interesting. Therefore, manuals and colleagues helped. Regarding clients, sometimes they may find it hard to hide their surprise, so they may ask if I’m really here to install a POS terminal and if I know how to do it. And then, I take out a set of screwdrivers from my pink bag, and their eyes round up (laughs). But such situations are rare,” says Hanna Miroshnykova, a service engineer at RENOME SMART in Odesa, sharing her own experience.
Step by step, the company is shaping a new modern portrait of a service engineer: with a mobile application, a planned route, in branded clothing, and even using electric cars.