The year 2010 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Grand Rapids-based CU*Answers for rolling out new mobile banking features and products.
This CUSO, known for providing its flagship core data processing system to 165+ credit unions nationally, is rolling out mobile banking in three distinct phases. The first, It’s Me 247 Mobile Web Banking uses an automatic redirect from the standard It’s Me 247 website if a member is using a mobile device. With a similar feature set as It’s Me 247, but with views optimized for web browsers on mobile devices, and slightly more advanced for the iPhone and Android-based devices. A mobile optimized version of credit union websites is strongly advised, as this will provided a consistent user experience for the mobile banker.
Down the road, in partnership with Firethorn, CU*Answers will be launching It’s Me 247 Mobile App Banking via a downloadable application installed on cell phones. Firethorn has developed the front-end application to work on many different devices, and comes pre-installed on many AT&T phones. The CUSO will provide this free for the first 15 months from the release date to give credit unions time to build and audience.
On the heels of the mobile banking rollout, teams at CU*Answers will be moving quickly into mobile banking via text messages, specifically: One-way text for e-Alerts (including real-time alerts about balances, instead of the current once-a-day update), and two-way text for interactive banking via SMS text messaging. The CUSO anticipates credit unions starting text banking programs with their members by the end of the second calendar quarter.