Take That to the Bank

In December, Claritybank.com became a content provider on PocketNet wireless Web service from AT&T Wireless. A number of other carriers also have partnered with banks to provide financial services via the wireless Web. Verizon Wireless, Sprint PCS and Nextel recently partnered with E superscript *Trade Group to offer wireless banking and brokerage services, and TD Waterhouse Group plans to offer wireless access to stock quotes through Verizon.

As the list of such partnerships grows, carriers will need to keep their CSRs in the loop about the availability of the new financial services.

AT&T Wireless Total Hold Time: 1 minute

Transfers/IVR Layers: 3

CSR: This is (name). How may I assist you?

WR: I was wondering if I can view my bank-account balances and transfer funds using your Web-enabled phones.

CSR: You have a PocketNet phone?

WR: Yes.

CSR: If you have the Web address for your bank, you should be able to get that information.

WR: How would I register for the service?

CSR: You have to get the information from your bank. I can't tell you how to register your bank account online. Your bank has to tell you how to do that. Whatever the bank is, they do have Web sites that you can actually go on, and it should give you instructions on how to get the account registered or see balances.

WR: Also, how likely is it that someone could steal my account information from a wireless phone?

CSR: If that's going to be an issue, then you shouldn't access it from the wireless phone.

Sprint PCS Total Hold Time: 0

Transfers/IVR Layers: 3

CSR: Thank you for calling. This is (name). How can I help you?

WR: I wanted to find out if I can view my bank-account balances and transfer funds using your Web-enabled phones.

CSR: Let me see if I understand. You want to view your account balances from your bank on your Sprint phone?

WR: Right.

CSR: I know there's a bank on there, but I'm not sure what that will do for you.

There's a 3-minute pause while the CSR searches for information.

CSR: What I just did was dig up all that's available on our Web site. We have a lot of things, but I don't believe we have that. There are all kinds of financial services. There's the Harris Bank. But if you don't have the Harris Bank, then that's not going to help you.

WR: How can I sign up for it? Can I sign up through you?

CSR: No. You'd have to go to the Harris Bank. Let's see. It's a new service that enables immediate, secure and easy wireless access to the Harris Bank from your phone.

It brings you an array of useful information including news, weather and sports. It's available across the United States. I can tell you how you get there to sign in.

You go to www.sprintpcs.com. On that home page, sort of in the middle there, it says "Personal" and you click on "Go." OK?

WR: OK.

CSR: Then on the next page up at the top it says "Learn," "Shop" and "Manage." Click on "Learn." On the next page, there are four pictures. Click on the picture that says "Sprint PCS Services." That will take you to another page.

It says "Sprint PCS Wireless Web," and then it says "Learn More." You want to click on "Learn More." Then that takes you to another page where it says "Sprint PCS Wireless Web Browser," and it says "Learn More" at the bottom. Click on that. Then on that page, there are a couple lines there in red that say "Specially Designed Web Sites" and you click on that. It'll take you to all of our Web sites, and Harris Bank is one of them. Click on the words "Harris Bank," and that gives you a write-up about it. If you go to the words "HarrisWireless.com," that takes you to where you can get more detailed information, sign in and set up your account.

WR: OK. I have one more question. How likely is it that some-one could steal my bank-account information?

CSR: We have a digital network. And the only way you could access the browser is in a Sprint PCS digital network. And because it's digital, it's encrypted. It cannot be cloned. They can't steal your information. It's completely digital, and it's completely secure.

Mystery Caller is Wireless Review's ongoing series of random calls to carriers to determine how a customer might be treated and the accuracy of distributed information.