The vendor says its technology means banks can have a new account, loan, investment, or mortgage expert available 24 hours a day to interact face-to-face with customers to help answer questions, resolve issues, compare products, and initiate and close loans.

Using any video-capable computer, the customer can initiate a call from the financial institution's Web site, which is then routed to the staff member who can address their specific need.

The software also allows management to observe and monitor the interactions between sales reps and customers in real-time and gather information that can be used to improve customer service.

In addition to authenticating the identity of each customer, uGenius also provides an encrypted transmission of all information as well as a two-way text chat for sending confidential information, to ensure security.

The firm claims trials of the technology are being conducted this year at various financial institutions around the world.

Gene Pranger, CEO, uGenius, says: "With this new offering, we have blended the customer's desire for both personalised assistance and convenience...Using their computer, customers can get personal help with questions, loan applications and more, all without having to travel to a branch."