HSBC is creating opportunities for career development with a pioneering interactive financial consultation service which meets the needs of busy clients.

LIVE Connect is a video conference banking service which connects customers with relationship managers using video conferencing on a secure internet banking platform. The technology, which is limited to Premier banking customers, has been billed by HSBC as a hi-tech solution for account holders who are often too busy to visit banks during office hours.

"The objective for the launch of LIVE Connect is to provide a more interactive online banking experience catering to the needs of different customers, especially those busy and highly mobile customers whose fast-paced lifestyle leaves them little time to visit the branches," says Ada Chiu, head of direct channels for personal financial services at HSBC.

The hi-tech connectivity is achieved through synchronised real-time video conferencing between customers and relationship managers, secured by network-based recordings, and virtual "signature" capabilities and data encryption. This not only requires Web development expertise but also networking, voice transmission, internet connectivity, internet security and data storage skills.

HSBC is looking for staff who have financial consultation capabilities and who are receptive to new technology. And, as the bank's technical support team is being coached in how to offer solutions to customers using the service, relationship managers are being taught how to offer the best LIVE connect experience through interactive and classroom training, and hands-on practice.

Chiu says the service's popularity will broaden career opportunities for those working in the field, as such technologies might usher in a new age of banking with hi-tech convenience that changes the way banks interact and customers manage finances, making banking a little more personal.

"This new service will lead to a new era of integrated banking," she says. "When the business keeps expanding, this will open up opportunities for frontline staff with talent in new technology and an understanding of new ways to communicate."