By Rhondeen Williams

Customers of Western Union in Jamaica, through the aid of the GraceKennedy Money Services (GKMS), are now able to have money transferred directly to their bank accounts.

On April 16, 2019, in a recent press release, GKMS Jamaica Country Manager Margaret Campbell expressed excitement about this new service being offered, as it is more convenient for some customers.

“This opens up a world of convenience for our Western Union customers, and in particular those who are used to receiving larger sums of cash and were uncomfortable walking around with that money,” says Ms. Campbell.

In addition, she also stated that this new service is a win-win for both the customers, who can now use their money at their convenience and the GKMS.

“They can have the money sent directly to their bank account and then have the ability to use it as they see fit,” she added.

Customer transactions will take place through the Direct to Bank service. This is an improvement to the existing deposit direct service, which required contacting the GKMS customer service to have money transferred.

This new process allows registered customers to have their money transferred directly to any commercial bank in Jamaica.

Commercial banks being; Bank of Nova Scotia, National Commercial Bank, First Caribbean, and First Global to name a few.

To benefit from this service, customers will be required to provide their taxpayer registration number (TRN) and a valid government-issued photo I.D.

After a successful registration process, they will then give the sender their bank account information and their money transfer will be sent directly to that bank account.

In the same press release, President and CEO of GKMS Grace Burnett said that this new initiative is all a part of a new strategic thrust.

“For the past year, we have been on a drive to strategically position our business in the new digital sphere by developing and rolling out products and services which play in this arena.”

She also cited some of the benefits that this new service will bring to GKMS and their customers.

“We see this as a way of attracting a whole new customer segment who are digital savvy whilst providing an additional service channel for our existing customers.”

This new initiative by the GKMS and Western Union is the latest in customer centered development.

During the previous year, they introduced WU.com, which allows persons to send money transfers online.

This year, they relaunched the Western Union Jamaica ap, which allows customers to start the process of sending a money transfer and then pay in store within 24 hours.

GKMS is the umbrella brand for the services offered by FX Trader, Bill Express, amongst others.