cuasterisk.comXtend, Inc., a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based multi-owned cooperative CUSO, announced earlier this week that it has selected LIVECHAT Contact Center from European developer LIVECHAT Software for an upcoming web chat proof-of-concept project. During the selection process, Xtend evaluated several in-house and ASP chat solutions before deciding to move forward with the LIVECHAT enterprise solution. The CUSO plans to quickly deploy the LIVECHAT application to support its B2B service offerings, while at the same time working with its core data processing partner – CU*Answers – over the next several months to integrate LIVECHAT into an authenticated It’s Me 247 home banking B2C solution.
According to Xtend President Scott Collins, selecting the right partner proved more challenging than expected. “We have been providing B2B chat services for nearly a year, but we knew that providing B2C support, especially in an authenticated and secure environment like home banking, required us to buy versus build. From the onset, we preferred an enterprise solution because we felt we had more control, but most of the recognized industry players were an ASP deployment. In fact, when we first looked at LIVECHAT it did not have an enterprise solution either. By the time we re-engaged with them this fall their enterprise solution was already deployed in several European financial institutions. Over the next few months, our web services and home banking partners over at CU*Answers will put the LIVECHAT software and support team to the test so that we can move forward with confidence.”
Collins noted that several credit union clients were anxious to participate in the beta testing of the new web chat service and that the CUSO planned to be ready for this next by late winter or early spring.
About the Partner
Xtend
About Xtend (www.xtendcu.com): Xtend, Inc. is a 100% credit union-owned CUSO formed in 2002 with headquarters in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Xtend provides a wide array of managerial, operational, marketing, technical planning and consulting services for credit unions of all sizes. In short, Xtend is an aggregation point for shared resources that allows credit unions to deliver products and services more costeffectively. Their strategic offerings include bookkeeping services, inbound and outbound member contact services, back-office mortgage services, partnered liquidity opportunities, shared branching, compliance monitoring, and insurance services. Xtend provides services for over 100 credit unions representing more than 800,000 members and $6B in assets. The CUSO is currently owned by 45 credit union partners.
