In a survey we ran in June this year, four out of five Australian consumers revealed they were frustrated with delays in-store, such as having to wait to pay at the register and almost a quarter of consumers said they were frustrated by outdated technology in use. An overwhelming majority of the consumers we surveyed wanted an in-store customer experience which gave them faster access to information, less time in queues and a more personalised service.

Providing real value

We’ve recognised the challenges faced by businesses and have been looking at ways to help bridge the growing gap between in-store experience and customer expectations – particularly technology that enables better customer experiences. We believe that technology can provide real value by building better and more personalised customer relationships, delivering flexibility and improved security.

That’s why for the past two years we’ve been working with merchants and industry partners from around the world to develop an innovative new customer experience platform, which we call, Pi.

Unique platform

Pi is a unique and open software platform designed to help businesses redefine the customer experience by enhancing face-to-face interaction at point-of-sale, all while offering secure payments.

To access the open Pi platform, CommBank in partnership with IDEO and Wincor Nixdorf has created a new interactive multifunctional device called Albert, which is powered by the Android operating system. Albert features a 7” screen and portable touch interface, enabling businesses to offer customisation through the use of business-centric apps together with flexible payment options through one device.

We are also offering Pi through the Apple operating system with Leo, which offers similar payment functionality and unique customisation. The Leo device functions as a cradle to an iPhone4/4S or iPod Touch.

We’re expecting to see Pi in use with retailers, hospitality, healthcare and even service providers throughout 2013. In the meantime, we’re working with developers and manufacturers to deliver a number of core apps for the Pi platform that will benefit businesses and their customers.

Keeping customers happy

In the near future, a restaurant with Pi will be able to help keep their customers happy by allowing them to easily and quickly split the bill at the table, emailing receipts or printing them – all without a lengthy delay between payments. That same restaurant could use Pi to also offer the same customers access to loyalty deals, either through QR codes, bar-codes or physical coupons so that repeat customer business is more likely to occur.

Let’s just say that same restaurant is running low on stock – through Pi and Albert the owner could be sent an alert for special deals from suppliers to top up those particular items, conducting the order and transaction all through the one device.

With Pi, the possibilities are endless, as businesses can either use the apps available through the Commonwealth Bank, or their own apps built to create customer experiences that surprise and delight.

Check out our video, which looks at what the near future will hold for retailers and customers through our Pi platform.

Let us know what your vision for customer experience is, we’d love to hear your thoughts.