Platform Automation

Form of banking automation that connects the customer service desk in a bank office with the bank's customer records in the back office. Direct linkage to a Customer Information File enables branch account officers to book new loan applications directly with the bank's loan processing system, and also permits faster look-up of customer account information to answer questions on rates, new services, and so on. (The term platform originated in the period when banking officers sat at desks on a platform slightly elevated above the main banking floor, but today is used to describe the customer service area in a bank's lobby.) Platform automation in bank branches also can speed the processing time in handling credit applications, because paperwork is reduced. See also Back Office; Personal Banker; Relationship Banking.