GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.–CU*Answers has announced a pair of year-long initiatives around improving how CUs act as Internet sellers as well as designing new approaches to teller services.
As part of its 2019 Business Plan initiatives, the CUSO said it has kicked off a research project to work with credit union leaders, business developers, and tactical units to “solve today’s challenges around how credit unions act as internet retailers to sell products and services to their members.”
The goal is to determine a vision for internet retailing, imagine new ways for credit unions to sell loans via internet channels, and figure out how to stock the shelves of a credit union internet store, the company said.
During CU*Answers’ CEO Strategic Developers Boot Camp, credit union CEOs brainstormed on the future of internet banking from a big-picture, strategic point of view.
After The Decorations are Stored…
Starting after the holidays, CU*Answers said it intends to communicate the results of the CEO Strategic Developers Boot Camp to all interested clients, to start coordinating a virtual community to participate in the research, and to hold a series of webinars to explain the project goals and to provide data to help with the specifications for the product or products the CUSO will be building in the future.
On April 23-24, 2019, CU*Answer said it will be recruiting 25 credit unions who are willing to engage in a 1.5-day Boot Camp Task Force event to pursue the questions from a more tactical perspective. In addition to recruiting subject-matter experts, the CUSO said it is also looking for credit unions who are willing to engage the CU*Answers Lender*VP and forms generation teams to actively enroll in using existing and new online apps and forms.
Applicants will take an entrance test prior to admission to this exclusive event, after which CU*Answers said it will make a final go/no-go decision, complete the final design specifications and start engaging developers and implementors for pilot projects.
Teller Services in the Future
Separately, CU*Answers said it has also launched a year-long research project to work with credit union leaders, business developers, and tactical units on designing new approaches to teller services for the future. The goal is to envision three distinct teller approaches: the traditional soup-to-nuts platform used today, a modern keep-it-simple design, and an API-based app that would let tellers roam the lobby with a tablet or that would connect with other third-party teller solutions such as ITMs, the company said.
As with the Internet sellers initiative, after the holidays, it intends to start coordinating a virtual community to participate in the research, and to hold a series of webinars to explain the project goals and to provide data to help with the specifications for the product or products the CUSO will be building in the future.
On May 29-30, 2019, CU*Answers will be recruiting 25 credit unions who are willing to engage in a 1.5-day Boot Camp Task Force event to pursue the questions from a more tactical perspective. In addition to recruiting subject-matter experts, the CUSO said it is looking for credit unions who have a strong desire to move the ball forward and are willing to engage the CU*Answers Teller Design, Earnings Edge, and Imaging Solutions teams.
Applicants will take an entrance test prior to admission to this exclusive event, after which CU*Answers will make a final go/no-go decision, complete the final design specifications and start engaging developers and implementors for pilot projects.