Think Convenience In Modern Banking & During The COVID -19 ‘Era’ – Think InvestNet Internet Banking
Dear Reader, We trust that you are keeping safe as we continue with our collective effort in mitigating the spread of COVID -19. This week, we share our narrative of our preparedness to continue to provide and sustain our quality service delivery during the Covid-19 ‘era’. This is with the objective to protect our customers and staff from the dangers of the pandemic. Social/physical distancing is one of the key behaviours necessary in combating the spread of the Coronavirus; the Investrust Bank Plc (IBP) Internet Banking product/ service dubbed InvestNet is one sure way of keeping our customers and staff safe. Convenience is our mantra at IBP; it guides the way in which we work. When we think of our customers, we think convenience. We make it our business to ensure that our customers enjoy the peace and other benefits that come with conducting banking and other business in the comfort of not only their workplaces but their alternative environments irrespective of where they are. Banking couldn’t be easier!
Internet Banking At A Glance
Simply put, internet banking is an electronic payment system that enables customers of banks or indeed other financial institutions to conduct a range of financial transactions from their ‘own’ environment as long as they have an internet connection. Internet banking benefits are many! Convenience, however, tops them all. Nothing beats the ability to be able to conduct banking and other business in the comfort of your own space. Life is busy, spending time in banks or other business places characterised by long waits before one is served the last thing one wishes to do particularly during the COVID – 19 era.
History Of Internet Banking
The usage of internet banking is believed to have started in the early 1980s. It, however, only started to become popular in the mid-1990s when access to home internet became widespread. Today, the use of internet banking has become a new way of conducting banking business as most banks shift from the traditional brick and mortar way of providing banking services. Online banking services are becoming more and more widespread due to advancements in technology. The story is not different for Zambia. Over the years, we have witnessed the mushrooming of technological advancements in the provision of banking and other financial services, from the introduction of ATMs to digitisation of a number of services. Conducting a banking service is made easier by the day. Innovative ways of conducting banking and other business are definitely trending, and it is a marvel to see life-changing transformational methods of effecting this. Life is busy, and so it is indeed heartwarming to be able to conduct banking business in the comfort of our own spaces allowing us more time to ‘do/live a life’. Suffice to say; customers are attracted to Internet Banking because of the round the clock availability and ease of conducting transactions. Some studies indicate that Internet Banking still has a long way to go because there are still several people who still prefer conducting banking business in traditional ways of going to the Bank to be attended to by people.
InvestNet At Work
Our InvestNet platform is suitable for a wide range of customer segments, from individuals and sole proprietors to SMEs and large corporates. All one needs to do to enjoy the benefits of this innovative service is to register for it simply. The gateway to this service is easy and simple. Individuals are afforded the opportunity to create their own user names and passwords, whereas other users need to use usernames and passwords created by the Bank.
Services on InvestNet
• Balance enquiry.
• Transaction history viewing.
• Bank statements downloading in PDF or Excel.
• Cheque book ordering.
• Blocking and unblocking cheques/ cheque books.
• Cheque leaf status viewing.
• Bulk upload on funds transfers (pay salaries and multiple suppliers at once).
• Transfers between own accounts.
• Transfers to other Investrust accounts.
• Transfers to other banks via DDACC of up to K500,000.00.
• Standing orders; with daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly and yearly frequencies.
• Debit card status viewing.
• Loan calculators for business proposals.
• Ability to set up beneficiaries for accounts one frequently makes transfers to.
• Transactions status viewing, i.e. pending, successful and/or rejected.
• Direct and easy contact with different departments regarding queries.
• Information updates.
Value Addition - Helping You To Be Law Compliant
Our internet banking service goes beyond the mere provision of banking services. We have added value to the platform by making it easy for customers to be able to conduct other key functions such as making obligatory payments like tax and other returns. We create an enabling space for our customers to be law-abiding citizens. Through our InvestNet platform, customers are able to pay domestic and customs taxes. For customers to be able to do this, all they need to do is to log in the ZRA platform and follow instructions which will then direct them to our platform. We have also partnered with other organisations such as NAPSA who share our passion for serving. Through our platform, customers are able to pay NAPSA returns for their employees who include domestic workers.
Security - Our Priority
Security and the provision of banking services go hand in hand. Customers want to conduct banking and other business in secure spaces. In order to ensure maximum security on our platform, we have carefully crafted a two-factor authentication mechanism. This means that one not only needs a password to log in, they also need a pin to authenticate transfers/transactions. The security features do not end here. If one is, for instance, idle from their computer in the process of performing transactions, the system will automatically log them out, making it impossible for anyone to tamper with their work. Your information is not stored online but on the core banking system making your information/data very safe.
Join The IBP Family Today!
If not yet part of the IBP family, please do not hesitate to join us. Visit any IBP branch nearest to you and open an account with us and be on your way to enjoying InvestNet and other innovative and exciting yet affordable products and services that we have. Our friendly staff at all our touch points will be at hand to welcome and attend to you. Until next time, stay blessed and be a blessing to others and remember to keep safe as we fight COVID -19. Wash your hands thoroughly with water and soap for at least 20 seconds or use alcohol- based hand sanitisers, observe at least 1m of social/physical distancing, cover your mouth and nose with a mask or indeed any cloth when you step out of your home to go to any public places and more importantly, stay at home!