A self-service SDB access system converges digital technology and bank legacy systems to offer customers a safe and convenient way to access bank services without the assistance of branch personnel and without compromising customers service. A handful of these self-service systems are in use today. These products, however; offer selfservice access to only the day gate requiring a bank representative to assist a customer access the SDB door. Most require a renovation of the SDB door or a replacement of the entire SDB nest. These products do not permit customers to access their box without the assistance of branch personnel and/or require an unnecessary and time consuming replacement of a perfectly good safe deposit box locker. This increases a bank’s SDB operational costs and impacts customers negatively. A new product is available and is truly a self-service SDB system that lowers operational costs and adds satisfaction to the customer experience. It is called the Secure Storage Access Solution or SSAS. The Secure Storage Access Solution (SSAS) is a cost effective, multi-functional, self-service system that offers frictionless access to safe deposit boxes. The SSAS allows a customer to access their SDB with ease using a convenient standalone biometric fingerprint reader and a user-friendly touch screen display. Once a customer is registered into SSAS they are able to access their SDB without the aid of branch personnel. In the U.S. there are currently only a few self-service SDB access systems on the market, but SSAS stands apart from other systems. It has a unique feature which grants access into the SDB vault and monitors the open and closed state of the customer’s individual box. The Secure Storage Access Solution is designed to exceed current safety and security measures, improve operational efficiencies, create traceability and audit transparency, and most importantly add value to the customer service experience.

• People have an innate need to feel secure. That need extends to their documents, valuables, and sentimental keepsakes that they do not feel would be as safe at home.
• A residence is more likely to be broken in to than a bank. Banks provide advanced safety and security because the protection of its employees and assets is paramount.
  Banks are regularly tested for their compliance to a multitude of regulations. To comply with these internal and external regulations banks follow a pre-described set of policies and procedures and regularly train on these procedures. Bank branches are designed and constructed using physical concentric rings of barriers to dissuade would be criminals. If for some reason a breach did occur there are many electronic intrusion devices and cameras that are constantly monitored by central operations centers. An ill planned attempt to circumvent these concentric rings and the operations center contacts the local police. Safes and vaults are designed not only to protect against attacks on their structure but also to withstand fire and explosions. It is within this highly secure environment that safe deposit boxes reside. Safe deposit boxes are built with a purpose. That purpose is to ensure the customer’s valuables are protected. Even in today’s world of virtual reality and cloud based storage devices people feel more comfortable storing these precious things in a bank’s safe deposit box rather than their home.
• One of the costliest processes for a bank is that of a vault attendant to assist a SDB customer. Standard operating procedure is to have a branch representative verify the identity of a box owner by comparing signatures. Next the attendant must open the day gate and insert a guard key into a dual control lock in the SDB door. No government regulation requires a deposit vault entry be witnessed by a bank representative or be under dual control. In house policies require visual verification and dual control because banks have no other way to confirm the identity of a customer. A self-service system aggregates these processes using a secure biometric device to verify the customer’s identity giving them complete access to their box without the assistance of a bank representative. Freeing branch personnel to concentrate on the bottom line, profitability.
• All financial institutions strive to reduce waste and be more sustainable. Safe deposit box operations are not environmentally friendly and tend to generate a lot of wasteful paperwork. A self-service access system reduces if not eliminates the need for paper forms such as signature cards and access logs. It will also eliminate the need to store this often redundant and cluttersome paper in bulky storage lockers or card control files. Banks will save money because there is no need to purchase these burdensome peripheral paper products.

The financial sector has seen an explosion in biometric use, with fingerprint scanners, voice recognition, iris scanners and even heartbeat monitors used by customers to access accounts and make purchases.
(Barber, 2017)

• A bank’s overall fiscal health is determined by how well it performs on audits. Though not FDIC insured SDB operations affects a financial institutions overall regulatory health. Banks that underperform on certain government audits can incur significant penalties. Non-compliance can result in restricting a bank’s ability to grow or worse a complete shutdown of the bank. A good self-service system empowers auditors to quickly search SDB historical
  records without leaving their office. Most selfservice access systems digitally record only SDB day gate access. The secure storage access solution takes the digital record keeping further.
  The SSAS monitors and traces access to the day gate as well as access to individual SDB door. This “traceability” feature gives an auditor the tools necessary to efficiently test branch SDB procedures across their footprint where the SSAS is utilized. A real-time report generation feature is another unique capability of the SSAS. Bank customers can, upon request, conveniently query SDB event logs, review access records, and box usage. (More on the traceability and report generation feature under the “Registration Management and Interface Key Components and Benefits”, this feature helps the industry close a gap in security (Mystery Boxes))
• A bank’s brand is nothing without a good reputation and a bank’s reputation is its brand. Corporate scandals are not the only headlines that can tarnish a reputation. Banks with a history of poor customer service or its refusal to cohese with in the community it resides or offer innovative products and services will struggle to make a good impression. Over $500 billion in revenue was lost in the U.S. due to unhappy customers. Clever commercials will not repair a damaged reputation. Evidence shows banks that invest in self-service technologies are thought of more positively and provide a better customer experience.

The Secure Storage Access Solution (SSAS) is a cost effective, multi-functional, self-service system that offers frictionless access for targeted activities such as safe deposit boxes. It converges new technologies to increase safety and security without compromising customer service. The SSAS is scalable and is capable of supporting an unlimited amount of users and is customizable aesthetically to fit into any branch design incorporating seamlessly into a banks existing operational ecosystem. It unites a secure multifactor authentication and identification management access control system with a stylish and technologically advanced registration and management unit which communicates with a database that resides both locally and within a secure data storage via Microsoft Azure. The database may be accessed via a secure web portal from any bank computer on the network for which no software is required. The web portal hosts a Dashboard view for monitoring site status, box usage, and total box availability by box size across all sites.
Other similar products require a third party computer terminal and additional licensing to access the selfservice SDB system which takes up space and can add to the overall cost of the system.
The SSAS is made up of three key components; an access control system (ACS), a registration and management interface, and a commissioning interface