“Many credit unions are challenged because their networks have experienced organic growth over time and they don’t always have an understanding of what is happening at each PC, where bottlenecks are, or what software is deployed on given workstations,” says Matt Sawtell of WESCO Net. WESCO Net’s asset tracking solution, part of their Complete Care network management solution, provides credit unions with centralized on-demand reporting of all their technology assets.

According to WESCO Net, their asset tracking technology provides complete knowledge of every PC’s hardware configuration, performance, and software inventory. The significance is on three fronts: first it assists with compliance efforts because the credit union now has an understanding of every software component installed on a workstation. Unauthorized software can be removed which can increase network security. Second, this information is used to help credit unions plan their future technology investments by eliminating the guesswork and then projecting when a given workstation will reach a capacity threshold based on usage history. This information will help determine if a workstation is a candidate for an upgrade or replacement, and whether or not it could be redeployed within the enterprise. Finally, accurate asset management simplifies disaster recover planning as the credit union will always have an up to date workstation and server hardware and software inventory and will know exactly what they need to replace in the event of a disaster.

The asset management service is included in WESCO Net’s Complete Care network management solution at no additional cost.

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To allow for paper ballots to still be cast (for members that don’t have access to a computer, or who have disabilities that don’t use a computer, etc,), the CUSO will also develop a tool in CU*BASE for authorized for authorized users to enter the results of paper ballots to be tallied along with online votes.

The configuration will include controls that prevent a ballot from being changed after the active voting period has begun, and clear the results from a previous election prior to setting up a ballot for the next elections. The voting tools for CU*BASE and It’s Me 247 will include controls to prevent members from voting more than once and to ensure that members are eligible to vote (must have par value on deposit in the base share account).

According to CU*Answers, the idea is to create a simple, inexpensive way for credit unions to gather votes from members on things like Board Elections or Proposals, etc., such as for the Annual Meeting.

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Xtend is part of the cuasterisk.com network of CUSOs that collectively serve over one million members. More than anything, we pride ourselves on being an execution company — providing bandwidth in the form of shared staffing services to our partners. Our fastest growing (and quickly becoming our most innovative) business unit is our Xtension call center operation. Xtension specializes in targeted outbound communication at key points in the member’s life and financial relationship with the credit union. We do the busy work, providing the answer to “if you had time and unlimited staff at your disposal, what would trigger member conversations and what would you tell them?”

This “customer of our customer” focus has allowed us to generate a buzz about our partners in ways that are very difficult to measure in ROI (apologies to the CFOs out there). Sure we do inbound too, but our outbound call strategy is what provides marketplace differentiation regardless of credit union size. And that is only part of the story. A recent creditunions.com article reported that 9- in-10 members surveyed want to receive Email from their credit union. Not only does this validate our outbound strategy — our CUSO has been sending hundreds of thousands of targeted email and online banking messages every month for several years — it also signals the need for telephony and web chat components. These tools give our partners the machinery to deliver “just in time” member service on the member’s terms. After all, when you see only one member in 10 face-to-face, how else can you guarantee we are top of mind?

Today’s technology allows us to go toe-to-toe in the marketplace if we are willing to invest along the way. I’m not talking about mid-market credit unions writing big checks for hardware, software, or 3rd party consulting. I’m talking about investing in a cultural shift: education, staffing, and/or researching collaboration with your peers. Banks are running at full speed when it comes to data mining and proactive customer outreach. The power of curious database analyst on your team that are also empowered to take action can be a huge differentiation point for your organization. At Xtend, we believe it is our personal responsibility to reach the 1 million people in our network on behalf of our partners. A lofty goal, but if nothing else, we hope to inspire our partners to DO THE WORK.

You have a great message, a better alternative, but are you missing a whole generation (or generations) of opportunity because you lack vision or fortitude to meet members on their terms and not yours? An engaged call center in conjunction with an effective electronic member outreach strategy can guarantee your members know you want to earn their business.

Are you missing the signals your members are sending?

By Scott Collins, President
Xtend, Inc.

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CU*Answers recently hosted its 2nd Annual CEO Strategies Week at the Frederik MeijerGardens and Sculpture Park located in Grand Rapids, MI. The week provided a unique andinteractive forum for credit union CEO’s to join as peers in a “live blog”, attend a series ofworkshops, roundtable discussions and “CEO School” intended to assist CEO’s in being betterinformed about their credit union using the CU*BASE technology tools that are readily availableat their fingertips. CEO Strategies Week promoted collaboration as being a solution and acompetitive edge for growth.

The theme for Strategies Week was “Real Work” and it facilitated considerable discussionamong CEO’s for examining new ways to partner together and collaborate; in essence, torevolutionize the industry in a new way. Randy Karnes, CEO of CU*Answers says “CEOStrategies Week is intended to promote collaboration as being a solution and competitive edgefor growth. Can we inspire a new wave of innovative collaborators before it is too late? Do wehave the components to collaborate efficiently?”

The Schedule of Events included:

• Collaboration Workshop – a CEO brainstorming session about the merits of aCU*Answers Scholarship Program that assists credit unions by providing reduced or insome cases, free data processing services from CU*Answers as based upon variousqualification criteria.
• CEO School — a day of mentoring and coaching on how a credit union CEO can use CU*BASE tools to better interact with their Board of Directors and Management Teams.
• CEO Roundtable — featured a face-to-face discussion where CEO’s were asked to share information about their credit union’s business plan, how they see the marketplace changing, and the potential for new partnerships over the coming year. Each CEO was responsible for presenting what they wished for the credit union industry, as well as identifying the biggest challenge facing their credit union. Another CEO was then responsible for addressing an issue presented by a peer CEO and providing a possible solution.

Throughout the week, Karnes challenged the group to think in a new and collaborative manner.As Karnes presented “every CEO needs to develop a new mindset where no rule can’t be bent or opportunity be harvested, if people have the right frame of mind and initiative for getting things done. There is power in people thinking and working together!”Pat Lowney, CEO of Lakeview CU located in Neenah, WI says “I attended the CEO StrategiesWeek for the first time and found it to be very beneficial. It wrapped up nearly a month of steady traveling for me, almost all of it business. This was a great wrap up because the message tied in very well with things I’m hearing from all over. We are going through times of great change.”

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