Spanish Smart Assistant Is Increasing Access and Empowering Clients

Asistente Inteligente de U.S. Bank has enabled Spanish-speaking clients to bank by voice in their preferred language.

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / March 7, 2024 / U.S. Bank
Originally published on U.S. Bank company blog

Andres Malfavon has seen firsthand the power of being able to bank confidently in your own language.

Foto: Accesswire

Andres Malfavon and his team in San Ysidro, California.

As the branch manager in San Ysidro, California - just north of the Mexican border near Tijuana - many of the clients Malfavon serves speak Spanish as their preferred language. One of his favorite things he gets to do, Malfavon said, is show them how to use Asistente Inteligente, which broke new ground as America's first Spanish-language voice assistant for banking.

With a simple tap of the microphone button, customers who set their language preference to Spanish in the U.S. Bank Mobile App can do dozens of things like check their balance and transactions, transfer and send money, track their credit score, lock and unlock their cards and so much more - just by talking to their smartphone in Spanish. They can also text instead of talk if they prefer.

"They are in awe," Malfavon said. "That's how I would describe their reaction. The idea of not needing to call and speak to a translator, but instead being able to open your phone, see everything in your own language, ask a question and - boom - get a response right away, it's invaluable."

Malfavon's experience is far from unique. Since launching in April 2022, Asistente Inteligente has made it easier for Spanish-speaking clients all across America to do their banking digitally in their language of choice. In fact, more than half of the bank's Spanish-preferring clients have already used it. That includes more than 45% in the past year alone.

"It's an amazing level of adoption," said Richard Weeks, head of conversational experiences and capabilities at U.S. Bank. "But at the same time, it's not entirely surprising to us considering the type of feedback we've been getting from clients - frankly, they love it. It's extremely gratifying to know you're having that kind of impact on someone's financial wellbeing and independence."

Like the experience Aura Rodriguez had with a client at her branch in Charlotte, North Carolina.

"I was helping a Spanish-speaking client who was not comfortable with technology," Rodriguez said. "So we spent almost two hours together as I showed him digital features that could help him in the future. He was so relieved when I showed him Asistente Inteligente. He said, ‘Oh this will be my go-to feature.' When I followed up a few weeks later, he right away told me how much it has helped him. And he loved our interaction so much that he's already referred two Spanish-speaking customers to me. Educating and empowering our clients is my top priority and I love my career because I get to do that every single day."