Wachovia bets on teleconferencing

Wachovia bought a fancy "telepresence" system from Cisco last year and has developed an eye-catching system around it. Bank Technology News describes the special studios as having "ultra high-definition displays," each of which show on-screen participants in near-perfect resolution, while "spatial acoustics approximate their position at a virtual round table. Cameras are positioned so that participants can share direct eye contact. Some are said to have offered to shake hands. But one big issue is whether this can alter the customer acquisition dynamic. Top banks are said to be thinking about using such technology in retail settings, allowing potential customers to interact with specialists less expensively. It's a money saver to be sure. Cisco, H-P and others are marketing hard, as you would expect.

For more:
- here's the article from Bank Technology News