Do they provide a simple app that you can use easily with a phone? I'd say the "social" aspects are where the benefit is. Being able to let one person pay the bill and everyone else just send their part seems handy.
At least here in Norway, most banks provide multiple ways of easily transferring with a phone: SMS, Android and/or iPhone apps and mobile web pages. My bank has all of these options. All four options in addition offer transferring between ones own account, retrieving balance, etc. The Android and iPhone apps and the mobile web pages offer more advanced stuff like paying bills, etc. as well. They even offer purchasing stocks and maintaining ones stock portfolio.