CU*Answers recently kicked off a development project to build a new calculator that is intended to evaluate a membership’s relationship and status with the credit union, and based on a CU-defined set of parameters, present a list of possible things to sell to that member based on their unique situation.  Dubbed “Nostradamus,” the new engine will be the first step in helping credit unions be more predictive in their sales efforts with members.

The project was initiated through the CUSO’s Developer’s Help Desk (DHD) annual Boot Camp event and is being championed by CommStar Credit Union in Elyria, Ohio, and Metrum Community CU in Centennial, Colorado. Representatives from both credit unions visited CU*Answers recently for an intensive two-day brainstorming session to flesh out the developer specs and pin down the exact criteria that will be included in the engine. Following the meeting, David Jezewski, President/CEO of CommStar, commented, “Truly a team effort and team focus to get to the finish line. I know we have some phases to go but I am confident in crossing the finish line with a great program for all.”

Dawn Moore, CU*Answers VP Writing Team/Product Design, said, “Figuring out a cost-effective way to analyze member behavior and predict what products and services will resonate with those members is the holy grail of software development. It’s a riddle credit unions have been grappling with for years, but until now the solutions have always been too expensive and inflexible to meet the needs of our very diverse client base.” The project will begin development later in 2020 with the goal of releasing a first phase sometime in 2021. “We look forward to seeing how close we’ve come to hitting the mark with something our clients will find truly useful,” said Moore.