Last August 13, the De La Salle University (DLSU) Libraries launched a cashless payment scheme for The Learning Commons and the Br. Benedict Learning Resource Center, with the goal of developing innovative and efficient services to offer better user experience to students. Going forward, they will now accept payments via GCash for all library charges.
In an online interview with The LaSallian, Director for Libraries Christine Abrigo shares that before this new system, the cash collection usually goes to the Accounting Office after the fees are received by the library. But now, respective offices simply receive a daily collection report of the previous day’s transactions via email, as the collection is sweeped into DLSU’s account.
How it all started
Abrigo and her office had been working towards sustainable development of the Libraries for the past three years, and one of their initiatives involves going cashless. According to her, the offices under the Office of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Services (OAVCAS), including Information Technology Services, and the Accounting Office, were all actively looking into implementing the system.
“Finally, at the beginning of the year 2018, the OAVCAS started talks with a GCash partner company, and by mid-year, the commitment had been sealed, and thus we moved forward with the implementation by August 2018,” she narrates.
The process behind
The growth of cashless payments have always been held back by the advances of technology. But over time, and as technology catches up with demand, the service, as well as the user experience, is expected to become smoother and easier.
Abrigo illustrates that a student just needs to have a smartphone and an internet connection to download the GCash mobile application and make use of the system. Once finished, students need only to fund the GCash wallet and they can already begin paying library fees online, for example.
In order to do this, a student first needs to go to the designated service counter where fees are assessed for overdue books, papercut printing tickets, lost/damaged books, or any other pecuniary concerns. Then, the student opens the app and scans the Pay QR code. An SMS transaction confirmation will then be sent to both the student’s and the service counter’s mobile phones, to signal that the payment is complete.
On what makes this new system special, Abrigo emphasizes that GCash offers convenience on the part of library patrons. All transactions, even in large amounts, can be settled at the service points.
“They need not go to the Accounting Office for this. It’s also safer since they need not carry around the cash with them because it’s in their virtual wallet,” she explains.
She further adds that operationally, library personnel saw a reduction in the tasks they needed to do when processing payments such as issuing provisional receipts and remittance reports. The system also allows for increased security and decreased operational risks since it does away with having to keep cash in drawers and ensures that payments go straight to the Libraries’ account electronically.
However, the system itself is not perfect. Abrigo laments that poor internet connection in some areas is one of the major drawbacks to the implementation of GCash since students will not be able to carry out transactions unless they are online.
Looking ahead
Cashless payments are an important part of the future of the financial technology industry. The University has experimented implementing cashless systems in prior years, but most of these have not stuck around. However, when asked if the GCash system will be a permanent fixture in the DLSU Libraries, Abrigo affirms that this self-service technology is “definitely here to stay.”
“It’s the way to go. We’ve just started with GCash, but we’re looking at on-boarding other cashless payment options in the future,” she adds.
As for the current service points accepting GCash, Abrigo shares that there are eight respective sites in the DLSU system accepting GCash: four in The Learning Commons, one in the Br. Benedict Learning Resource Center at Br. Andrew Gonzalez Hall, one at the Law Library in the Rufino Campus, one at the Business Library in the Makati Campus, and one at the College Library in the Laguna Campus.
With the beginning of cashless systems in DLSU Libraries, Abrigo believes that the entire University could potentially go cashless in the future as well. Speaking from personal experience, she feels a sense of security and control over transactions done online, adding that it is also time-saving for consumers.
