Customers of Alabama’s Bank Independent can now access their banking services via an AI-driven virtual assistant based on Amazon’s Alexa platform. That includes checking their account balances, performing transactions, and receiving information about loans, bank hours, and more; and the system can even perform biometric authentication using voice recognition.

The technology arrives via Enacomm’s VPA, or “Virtual Personal Assistant” solution. It’s a little late in arriving; plans for the deployment were first announced a year ago, and at the time Enacomm said it expected to complete it “in early 2018”. But better late than never: A statement announcing the implementation suggested that customers appreciate the new technology, with Bank Independent VP Kelly Burdette noting that after its launch the company heard from an 89-year-old customer with macular degeneration who said the Alexa chatbot “makes his banking and his life easier.”

News of the deployment arrives after a string of announcements from Enacomm concerning new distribution partners this year. Telecom consultant Telvoyant became a reseller for VPA in January, and communications solutions provider VOX Network Solutions signed on in May. VoIP specialist Alcor Consulting came onboard in August. And now, with a successful deployment in place, Enacomm could attract more such partnerships going forward.