Q&A with Brendan Thorpe, Customer Success Manager at Auriga For Finance Derivative
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A man reading in an office directly sitting and facing towards the window flooded with rays of sunshine. Original public domain image from Wikimedia Commons
Can you explain your role at Auriga and any previous experience in the financial, banking or technology space?
I was appointed Customer Success Manager at Auriga in April 2024, supporting clients across the UK and working closely with the VP of International Sales. My role ensures customer needs are reflected in Auriga’s self-service and omnichannel banking solutions.
Prior to joining Auriga, I have enjoyed over 20 years of experience in banking technology, including 12 years at Diebold Nixdorf, holding senior roles across software sales and global solution engineering. My expertise spans self-service banking, ATM solutions, and improving customer adoption of tech-driven banking services.
In a nutshell, what does Auriga do?
Auriga is a global provider of omnichannel banking software, delivering self-service solutions for self-service banking, branches, and digital banking. Our core platform, WinWebServer (WWS), helps banks deliver seamless services across channels while reducing costs and boosting efficiency.
With a strong presence in over 60 countries, we also offer advanced cybersecurity tools and AI-driven features to enhance customer experience and cash management. Serving more than 350 banking clients, we are recognised as a leader in ATM innovation.
Brendan Thorpe
Why are omnichannel banking solutions so important? What are the benefits?
Omnichannel banking solutions are crucial as they let customers interact with their bank across multiple touchpoints, in a way that works for them. These platforms include mobile, online, ATMs, and branches and omnichannel operations allow customers to go between them in a seamless, consistent way. This helps banks stay competitive, reduce costs, and meet rising customer expectations.
Key benefits include better customer experience through a smooth and personalised service, which in turn leads to stronger customer loyalty and satisfaction. It also brings about greater efficiency by unifying systems and reducing duplication, as well as smarter decision-making from unified customer data and a more holistic view of the customer.
What kind of impact do you think AI has had and will continue to have on banking solutions?
AI is transforming banking by making services faster, safer, and more personalised. It’s already helping with fraud detection and improving customer service as well as boosting operational efficiency across the board. It is also supporting back-office operations such as cash and asset management, branch automation and infrastructure monitoring, where it improves resilience, reduces costs and ensures service continuity.
Moving forward, AI will continue to drive hyper-personalised banking experiences, smarter self-service tools, including ATMs and kiosks, and will offer more accurate financial planning and forecasting. It can also optimise cash and asset management to ensure faster, data-driven decision making, helping banks stay competitive in an increasingly digital world.
As digital solutions continue to evolve, do you think there’s still a need for access to cash?
Yes, absolutely! At Auriga, we’re keen to continue maintaining and improving access to cash as traditional bank branches close and digital solutions evolve. Shared banking models like banking hubs and ATM pooling can allow multiple banks to share infrastructure while still delivering a consistent customer experience, and can improve access in more rural areas. Using technology to optimise ATM networks and introduce automated cash recycling can also ensure cash services are more efficient and widely available.
It’s important to consider the social impact of branch closures, with many elderly and vulnerable members of society relying on access to cash and physical banking solutions. When banks, ATM operators, and tech providers work collaboratively, we can ensure access to cash is prioritised and meet the needs of all members of society, not just those that are digitally savvy.
How do you think shared banking models can benefit banks and customers alike?
Shared banking models offer mutual benefits for banks and customers by improving efficiency and accessibility. For banks, sharing infrastructure like ATMs and banking hubs reduce operational costs by delivering cash efficiencies, which allows for more strategic resource use, and helps extend services to underserved areas without the cost of opening new branches.
These models also encourage collaboration and innovation across services. For customers, they ensure continued access to essential banking services, particularly in communities affected by branch closures. They provide the convenience of accessing multiple banks in one location, often with extended hours and a more streamlined experience
Do you have any thoughts on how the banking industry, specifically customer-centric solutions, will continue to evolve in the future?
Building on the efficiency and accessibility benefits of shared banking models, we expect hyper-personalisation driven by smarter use of AI and data, alongside a continued focus on omnichannel experiences, to further enhance customer experiences.
By leveraging these technologies, banks will offer more intuitive and tailored financial tools that help customers manage their money effectively across multiple channels. While digital solutions will increasingly meet everyday needs, human support will remain vital for more personalised, emotional or nuanced support may be needed, that a digital solution can’t provide.
