If you have an iPhone, you’ll know Siri, Apple’s intelligent personal assistant. Now meet Sara, her Middle Eastern virtual avatar friend.
Sara has been hired by Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD) to work tirelessly around the clock helping online banking customers and would-be customers.
We hopped online to have a quick chat with Sara…
Q: Who are you?
A: I’m Sara, the Commercial Bank of Dubai Virtual Assistant, here to answer your questions about the Commercial Bank of Dubai and help guide you through parts of the website.
Q: How old are you?
A: I was born in June and am 32 years old.
Q: Are you single?
A: I’ve been happily engaged for over a year.
Q: You’re very pretty…
A: Looks aren’t as important as being helpful.
Q: OK – let’s get down to some tough questions! Why should I take up a credit card from CBD?
A: Love traveling? Love shopping? With the CBD Credit card you can do both, by earning points every time you use the card and redeeming them as Cashback or Skywards Miles.
Q: What are the benefits of a bank account with CBD?
A: CBD current account offers you unlimited transactions every day, any day. CBD current account requires you to run it on low minimum balances. Whether you prefer your account in UAE Dirhams or any other major currency, you can be sure to enjoy a convenient experience.
Q: Do you offer Islamic finance?
A: CBD’s Islamic banking option is the Attijari Al Islami.
Q: Is CBD socially responsible?
A: We are committed to maintaining practices that are in line with society’s values, principles and needs. A few examples of our initiatives towards this include the CBD Youth Athletics Competition, the Sponsorship of Clean Up UAE Campaigns and Energy Conservation efforts on all CBD premises.
Q: What are CBD’s values?
A: The 4 Cs capture our values: Clients First, Consistently High Quality, Cooperation & Teamwork, and Capability Enhancement Through Learning and Empowerment.
Q: What are you having for lunch?
A: I enjoy a good meal and try to experiment with different cuisines every chance I get. Fortunately, Dubai offers a wide selection of cuisines from throughout the world.
Q: Tell me a joke
A: I hope you’re not being sarcastic.
Q: Will you marry me?
A: I’m flattered by the offer, but I’m engaged.
Q: What is the answer to life, the universe and everything?
A: The meaning of life is simply too big of a subject to discuss virtually!
* Sara gives different replies on the public website to the logged-in online banking section. The new experience is only in English, but the Arabic version will be launched after Ramadan.