December 11, 2023
Is Your Credit Union Core Built for 2024?
As we sit and reflect on 2023, thoughts of personal resolutions we kept and those we didn’t naturally arise. Did we stick to that gym schedule, save money, or spend more time with loved ones? How about professional goals? Ask yourself, did your CU meet the needs of your members in 2023, and is your credit union core built for the demands of 2024?
Discover what your members expect from their CU, how to ensure your credit union is their primary financial institution, and why Sharetec Velocity is the best credit union core for 2024!
What Members Expect
With so many financial institutions to choose from today, you need to keep that competitive edge. What are your neighboring institutions offering that you’re not? More importantly, what are your neighboring credit unions offering?
Members stay loyal when they feel secure and trust in your CU’s offerings. Maintaining that trust means keeping the lines of communication open, being consistent with your messaging/branding, growing to provide the best services, and offering continuous support. As a modern financial institution, you are also expected to provide minimal, simple, quick, and secure online banking features and core technology solutions!
Communication
Communicate with your membership regularly regarding any service changes, potential service outages, upcoming events/closings, and anything else that directly affects your membership. The last thing you want is for a member to discover online banking is temporarily offline when they go to log in!
You need to provide advanced notice whenever possible to avoid misunderstandings, delays in service, and other frustrations.
Consistency
Your members get used to the way you communicate and how your brand looks. If you usually advertise events on Facebook, and you only inform members of an upcoming event via email, you’ll likely have members who miss out on the event. “It wasn’t on Facebook,” is a complaint you could hear. They don’t want to hear how else you advertised it; they’ll want to know why you didn’t advertise it the way you always have.
The same is true for your branding. If your CU is known for advertising with animated graphics and you send out a notice using a photograph, the message could be skipped over because it doesn’t look like it came from you. Also, a member could get the impression that the credit union is making bigger changes that could directly affect them, such as merging with another institution.
Growth
It might sound contradictory to consistency, but growth is also imperative to member retention. If your current online banking platform requires multiple, time-consuming steps or is constantly giving members issues, you need to be willing to upgrade in order to retain members.
There also needs to be a willingness to provide something new when the opportunity arises. If there’s a new service that people begin to rely on, it’s time to do your research and implement the option that will benefit your membership most. Don’t just assume your members will stay with you even if you don’t offer new services; growth is key to future success.
Support
As a partner to growth, your CU needs to be ready and able to provide support to members. If you change your online banking platform, make sure members know who they can contact with questions or concerns. The same goes for implementing new services. Provide FAQ information via email and on your website so members can walk themselves through any service changes. Put together a webinar that explains how to use the new technology.
What Makes You Their Primary Financial Institution?
Let’s face it: most people have more than one financial institution. It doesn’t matter how great your services are, people feel more secure when their finances aren’t all in one place. That being said, you should strive to be a member’s primary financial institution rather than their sole one.
So, what makes your credit union their primary financial institution? The ability to do everything quickly, easily, and securely! The only way to ensure this is to provide your membership with the most modern, up-to-date core technology solutions.
When was the last time you thoroughly reviewed your credit union core? What better time than the new year to explore your options and compare new core technology solutions to your current core processing partner!
Why Sharetec Velocity is the Best Credit Union Core for 2024
Sharetec is constantly working to provide credit unions with the very best core processing solutions. Our web-based core integrates seamlessly with several top-of-the-line integrations that make you and your members’ life easier!
Why are we calling our core technology “Sharetec Velocity?” Because our core is constantly evolving and going full speed toward the future; never assuming perfection or settling for the mediocre. The goal is to consistently provide bold strategies, powerful technology, and caring support to our credit union partners. In order to achieve this in an ever-changing financial and technological landscape, we are prepared to take on the inevitable challenges of change and growth so our partners can rest easy knowing we will always be there to help them win!
Our Core Technology Solutions
Sharetec offers a variety of solutions, including eServices, member services, lending and accounting solutions, back office services, and reporting tools. You can find a thorough review of each by visiting our website here: https://www.sharetec.com/solutions/.
eServices
Your members are looking for something new to compete against all the competition. Sharetec’s eServices provide cutting-edge technology to help you interact with your members beyond the confines of your credit union.
With eServices from Sharetec, you can offer your members a wide range of services that are convenient, easy to use, and available 24/7. From online banking and mobile banking to online member enrollment and credit card single sign-on, Sharetec’s eServices give your members the tools they need to manage their finances on their terms.
Member Services
All the tools your employees need to handle daily transactions and tasks are now combined into one easy-to-use interface. They can work more quickly and accurately with access to several automated tasks and cross-selling opportunities. As a result, your credit union will run smoother and more efficiently overall.
Lending
Your lenders require accurate data, clear standards, and an efficient application process to function effectively. The Sharetec Lending Workspace’s data tracking tools and decision screens are its main strengths because they put all the right information in the right place at the right time to simplify decisions and track changes. It’s the logical choice for anybody seeking to make complicated things easier.
Accounting
Sharetec accounting solutions provide a thorough approach to financial management. Sharetec streamlines processes and minimizes difficulty with streamlined methods and maximum ease of use. In addition, reporting capabilities allow you to fulfill NCUA reporting requirements for investments and quarterly 5300 call reports. It’s about maximizing freedom and efficiency while putting information at your fingertips.
Back Office
The Sharetec back-office solutions offer a variety of features that streamline processes, increase productivity, and add value to member relationships. These solutions are designed to help credit unions provide a better experience for their members.
We know the importance of providing fast, accurate information to our credit union partners. That’s why we’ve developed various back-office solutions to make your job easier. From automated processing to interest refund tracking, Sharetec has the tools you need to keep your credit union running like a well-oiled machine.
3rd Party Offerings
Sharetec provides a vast and growing array of integrations to make your credit union’s daily processes simple, secure, and streamlined! Some examples that our current CU partners love include Plaid, Larky, Rocket Collector, and SavvyMoney. You can find a comprehensive list of our 3rd party offerings by visiting our website here: https://www.sharetec.com/integrations/.
Plaid
Your members – new and current – like speed and security and want a reliable way to fund their account applications. They do not want to waste time manually entering account information and don’t want to wait days for those funds to appear. Enter Plaid.
Larky
Larky empowers financial institutions to connect with their audience in the right place at the right time. We’re excited to offer our new nudge program, integrated right into your financial institution’s mobile banking app.
Rocket Collector
Rocket Collector is a specialized collection software designed by collectors – for collectors. We specialize in software systems for debt collection, management, and recovery. Our solutions will transform your collections activity with secure, modern, cost-effective technologies. Our self-service portal helps eliminate a lot of the extra work and effort on your debt collection staff.
SavvyMoney
Sharetec’s partnership and integration with SavvyMoney, a fin-tech industry innovator and provider of credit score and other related financial solutions for every online and mobile banking platform, provides comprehensive credit score analysis, full credit reporting, monitoring, and personalized offers -accessible in one dashboard, with no extra fees.
Does your credit union core offer all this and more? We didn’t think so! No worries, you can schedule a demo today and get the ball rolling for a successful 2024!