Volume 49 - Bradford Scott Data Corporation

Volume 49
Service & Solutions
Bradford-Scott Data Corp
Welcome to Iron Mountain!
Bradford-Scott is pleased to announce that Iron MountainKingsford Community FCU has selected the Sharetec Systems
to replace their current core solution. Iron Mountain KCFCU,
based in Iron Mountain, Michigan, has more than 13,500
members and 32 employees serving the heart of Michigan’s
Upper Peninsula. This is the fifth credit union in the UP to
select Bradford-Scott and its Sharetec Systems.
Brad Swee, President of IMKCFCU, said that “selecting a new
core system is a big decision but after seeing the Sharetec
Systems, I felt the functionality was something our credit
union would benefit from daily. I was particularly surprised
with Sharetec’s non-interest income opportunities. In looking
at other systems, I couldn’t find anyone providing similar
technology.” IMKCFCU will implement Sharetec’s mobile
banking, complete paperless office workflow with loan and teller signature pads, and Segmint.
Kevin Kolar, VP of Bradford-Scott, said that “Having selected the same core vendor after two
previous searches at different credit unions, I initially thought Brad would select that system
again - until he saw our system. He immediately recognized that our technology would put
money in his pocket, particularly with our new Segmint product. In about 18 months, this
credit union’s revenue from Segmint will likely exceed the five year CUSO revenue he was
considering.”
About Iron Mountain—Kingsford Community FCU
The Iron Mountain - Kingsford Community Federal Credit
Union has been serving the Iron Mountain-Kingsford area for the
past 63 years. The CU started in 1948 as the Ford Iron Mountain
Employees Federal Credit Union, with an original charter of seven
members. They now serve over 13,500 members in the Upper
Peninsula
of
M i c h i g a n
and
N or t h we s t
Wisconsin.
In This Issue:
What’s New In
Programming
2
Employee Spotlight
2
Online Member Services
3
Geezeo
4
Year End Processing
5
When Disaster Strikes
5
Sharetec Release 8..2
6-7
Tips Of The Week
7
Power Users
7
After-Hours Pager Support
8
New From The BSDC Programming Department!
by Kevin Lowder
The Bradford-Scott Programming Team has been very busy preparing for Sharetec’s 8.2 upgrade and is
pleased to report that the development and testing phase is complete. Below are just a few changes that
that will be a standard part of Sharetec Release 8.2:
Post specific ACH file types. This was implemented to better control what you want to post from the
ACH Items area. Choices will be ACH Only, Bill Pay, and ACH Origination.
Change the verbiage on the Certificate Maturity Notice.
Display for pending (un-posted) ACH credits for the member in Central Information.
Send archived files/reports/images in the Remote Backup to Bradford-Scott.
Combine cleared share draft images to the member’s statement if the statement vendor LKCS is used.
Print the total ACH/Payroll amount on the member’s statement.
Bradford-Scott is always listening to our customers for ways to improve our product and we hope you
will find these enhancements beneficial to your credit union.
Congratulations go to
Courtney Hime!
This quarter, Bradford-Scott spotlights our new Account
Executive, (AE) Courtney Hime. As an AE, Courtney
works directly with customers to ensure that their Sharetec
system is being utilized to its fullest. Often working onsite
alongside your CU staff, Courtney strives to ensure that
users feel comfortable working in Sharetec and she
carefully listens to suggestions to improve their daily
work. Her primary goal… Credit Union satisfaction!
Courtney began her career at Bradford-Scott in June 2009
as a Conversion Analyst and was promoted to Account
Executive in August 2011. She currently works out of
BSDC’s Indianapolis office. She graduated from DePauw
University in 2009 with a Bachelor’s degree in English. Even though she resides in Indianapolis, she
remains a die hard Green Bay Packers fan. Courtney enjoys a wide range of outdoor activities, such as
biking and rollerblading. She has a very large collection of music from many genres, so the next time
Courtney visits your credit union, try to stump her with some music trivia!
2
Overview:
Planites Credit Union (PCU) is located in Chicago, Illinois. They have 8 employees and
approximately $30 million in assets. They are committed to providing each of their members with
personalized friendly service and aim to give them customized financial solutions.
The Problem:
The PCU office, located on the 14th floor of a federal building in downtown Chicago, Illinois, was
difficult for members to access due to limited parking and tight security. As a result, they needed a
solution that included an On-line Enrollment environment that allows their potential members the
ability to join the credit union, via the Internet, from any location.
The Solution:
On-line Member Enrollment allows PCU’s new members to enroll and existing members to open
new accounts and apply for loans – at anytime from anywhere. For example, members can join the
credit union or apply for a loan during lunch from their desk, in the evening from their home, or at
any other time that is convenient for them. In addition, security is enhanced by validating
identification and reducing fraud via its secure application process.
The Results:
Within the first 5 months, PCU opened 143 new member accounts (28.6 members per month)
utilizing this Sharetec solution. These registrations resulted from the following:
On-line registration – 75%
Onsite enrollment – 20%
Walk-in registration – 5%
Additionally, Sharetec provided PCU with a secure and efficient ID Verification method. They now
have the ability to perform online security checks. This feature did not exist on their previous
system, which is why they had to run an OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) report and request
a copy of a member’s ID to complete the verification process. Sharetec has ultimately streamlined
the method for validating identification.
According to PCU’s management team, they have received excellent service and support since
implementing the Sharetec solution. Angie Dandurand, Planites Credit Union Member Services
Supervisor, stated “The online member module has significantly increased our new membership
drive. It makes joining the CU quick and effortless, mainly because you can do it from the comfort
of your home. Lastly, it has greatly reduced paperwork here in the office.”
3
Geezeo—Online Financial Management
Geezeo is a leading Online Financial Management (OFM) solutions provider for credit unions. They help
organizations engage their membership, reach new markets, and increase wallet share. Their primary
focus is to provide services and technologies that enable clients to activate their target audiences—to
participate in sound financial decision-making, engage in community discussions, take advantage of
relevant products and services, and create a more valuable member experience. This increased activity
has a straightforward result: credit unions are able to better monetize their membership and attract new
members.
Geezeo sees the worlds of
finance,
community,
marketing, and technology
continuing to meld; thus
creating numerous exciting
opportunities for credit
unions. They sit comfortably
in the intersection of these
opportunities, by providing
experience, creativity, and
technological expertise.
Engagement Banking, their
flagship product, is a new
marketing, sales and service
model
that
deploys
technology to achieve both
member intimacy and scale.
Personal Finance Manager
(PFM) is at the core of Engagement Banking and is what gives the credit union their ability to collect
member data, turn that data into insight and effectively disseminate that insight. It provides the
appropriate channels that align with a member’s convenient behavioral patterns and generates a strong
user experience. PFM works in three major arenas:
Increased Wallet Share—With account aggregation, member accounts held outside the credit union
can be viewed and leveraged. The included Integrated Marketing Platform considers members’
financial profiles, aggregated data and habits to help you present the most relevant solution. Data
from more than 10,000 financial institutions can be aggregated.
Market Expansion—Members will appreciate the convenience of managing their banking
relationships in a one-stop environment. Geezeo helps members take the chore out of banking, while
delivering the on demand tools that Home Banking requires. You can engage your online members in
a way never before possible.
Increased Retention and Satisfaction—Giving account holders access to PFM tools such as
budgeting, goal management, and cash flow provides instant benefits few other financial institutions
can provide. Geezeo supports you by positioning you as an enabler and advocate.
For more information on Geezeo, please feel free to contact your Sales Representative.
4
Year-End Processing
by: Amanda Stroup
It's hard to believe that fall is already here and that 2011 Year-End processing is right around the corner.
With the end of the year comes IRS reporting and closing your GL accounts. Many ask, "What do I need
to do for year-end during December month-end processing?” Below are some tips to keep handy when
that time comes.
1. With the exception of one additional step, December month-end processing is virtually the same as
any other month. The difference is that member year-to-date records must be created for the
following year. NOTE: If you have Automated Month End processing, this will happen
automatically because the closing period is 12 (December). You do not need to do anything
differently. For those who run their month-end processing manually, the system will know that the
closing period is 12 and you will be prompted with the question, "You have answered yes to "Year
End". This will cause year-end processing to occur. Year-to-date information will be cleared out. Are
you sure this is correct?” You must answer "Yes" in order for the records to be created. After
December month-end processing is complete, you will see new general ledger records for the fiscal
year 2012 for any open general ledger account.
2. Income and Expense Close is also a process that needs to be run to close out the general ledger
accounts for period 12. You will need to be sure and complete this step sometime during the month
of January, not in December. For directions on how to complete this step, log on to the Customer
Center and search on year-end processing.
3. Finally, prior to January 31st, 1099 and 1098 IRS forms will need to be sent out to your membership
and data files will need to be uploaded to the IRS. IRS Forms can be purchased from Office Source.
BSDC will again this year offer to send your data files to the IRS for you. Look for further
information in an upcoming announcement from BSDC.
As always, if you have questions when the time comes, please place a software support call.
When Disaster Strikes
by: Matt Marra
Having your member data in more than one place when a disaster strikes gives you an advantage and
provides you with some flexibility during a post-disaster crisis mode. If your server and back-up tape are
destroyed as a result of a fire, tornado, etc., what would your next step be?
Having our Remote Back-up product is a must but this option by itself still takes time since getting a server
ready and restoring the data from the remote back-up files must be done. To go a step further, you could be
open for business even quicker if your remote back-up files AND your Sharetec programs were already on a
server that is ready to go promptly after notifying us of the tragedy.
By purchasing a second server and housing it at your branch or another location that would have Internet
access, we will configure it to act as your own remote back-up server and it will always be ready to go with
everything needed to run Sharetec. This server would receive multiple back-ups throughout the day and if
your main site goes down, BSDC would quickly compile the back-ups, make some changes so that users can
access the remote server, and you will be back up and servicing your members in a very short period of
time. For more information please call Matt Marra or your Sales Representative.
5
What To Expect With Your Release 8.2
Software Upgrade
by: Diana Stirratt
Release 8.2 is coming! Bradford-Scott has a very detailed plan to support you before, during, and after
the upgrade which helps to make the experience as smooth as possible. Prior to the upgrade, each
credit union will be assigned an upgrade representative that will be responsible for your transition,
including planning, testing, and support. A typical upgrade will take one full business day. This
includes the necessary time for the programming staff to perform the upgrade, as well as your upgrade
representative to test the Sharetec system prior to turning it over to you. Actual upgrade time may
differ depending on the number of custom programs, connection speed, etc. Below is a summary of
what you can expect before, during, and after the upgrade.
Prior to Upgrade:
1. Assign someone from your credit union to work with your BSDC upgrade representative.
2. All users must complete the Computer Based Training videos at least one week prior to the upgrade
and you must notify your upgrade representative once training is complete. These videos can be
accessed on Customer Center and viewed 24/7.
3. Complete the 8.2 Questionnaire and return it to your upgrade representative in the requested
timeframe.
4. Notify your membership that the system will be unavailable on the upgrade date.
5. Put an alert message on your website that Sharetec Home Banking will be down for maintenance on
the upgrade date.
6. If you have any problems or concerns from previous upgrades, or any special requests, please
convey these to your upgrade representative.
Day of the Upgrade:
1. Your BSDC programmer will start the upgrade promptly at 8:00 a.m. EST. All processes must be
completed before this time and all users logged off the system. Any system access after 8:00 will
delay the upgrade time.
2. Depending on the size of your system, the programming for the upgrade should be completed in
the early afternoon. The upgrade representative will then configure & test the new 8.2 system.
3. Depending on the number of custom modifications that need to be tested, the upgrade
representative will conclude testing in the late afternoon. The upgrade representative may need
your assistance to configure and deploy each workstation if Sharetec is running locally.
4. Your new 8.2 system should be ready for you in the early evening.
After the Upgrade:
1. Upgrade related questions should go directly to your upgrade representative. Please place software
or hardware support calls for all other questions.
2. Verify that all custom programs are working as expected. Your upgrade representative will do their
best to test all custom programs prior to turning over the system to you; however, these
modifications are unique to your credit union and you know them best. If you notice that a custom
modification is not working as it did prior to the upgrade, be sure to notify your upgrade
representative immediately.
Continued on next page...
6
What To Expect With Your Release 8.2 Software Upgrade… Continued)
3. Results will be set up by your upgrade representative the day following the upgrade.
4. Your upgrade representative will supply you with a set of instructions to show you how to set up your
Back Office Controls for the Check Kiting Report, FinCEN Report, Vault Cash Control, and Insurance
Code Delinquent Days. These reports will not run correctly until they are updated.
5. To see the Sub-Ledger Balance Report by branch on a nightly basis, you will need to schedule it to run
with day close. This can be found in Reports -> General Ledger -> Ledger Balance Report.
Upgrades will begin in February and you will receive notification of the upgrade date options via email to the
address that we have on file for you. Upgrades will occur on weekdays only and will not be offered on the
first or last business day of each month.
Tip Of The Week Program
To sign-up to get this weekly tip e-mail, please email
bdoolittle@bradfordscott.com and include your name and e-mail address.
Bonnie
Doolittle
at
1. Sharetec Homebanking e-alerts for members can be added, edited, and deleted by using a right
click menu option. Right click in the member information area and select e-alerts. You can then
maintain messages, email addresses, access additional options for the alert, and can view the last
time the alert was sent to a member.
2. To properly refund Overdraft Courtesy Fees, use the transaction code ODCR. To properly refund
NSF fees, use the transaction code RNSF. If these transactions codes do not exist, please call
Software Support to have them created.
3. Reports that cannot be set up in the Job Scheduler can still be prepared ahead of time. For example,
let’s say that you want a report to run at 6:15 a.m. but you don’t come in until 8:00 a.m. You can set
the report up in the Report Queue the night before and it won’t run until 6:15 a.m. The report will
then be waiting for you when you come in the office at 8:00 a.m. To schedule this report, set the
report parameters the way you always do. Then go into “Options” and set the date and
time. Click “Run Report” and the report will wait in the Report Queue until the date and time that
you set in the Options area.
PowerUsers@bradfordscott.com
Over 50% of our Sharetec customers participate in daily email discussions using our free e-mail list
serve, PowerUsers@bradfordscott.com. To be a part of PowerUsers@bradfordscott.com, please email Bonnie Doolittle at bdoolittle@bradfordscott.com to sign up today.
7
Be Online – Not in Line!
By: Courtney Hime
Everyone would love to be able to roll out of bed and go to work in their pajamas. For a few lucky Credit
Union employees, their nightly wears became part of their daily dress code for an entire week.
The staff of Select Employees Credit Union (SECU) in Sterling, Illinois dressed down for a week to
promote Home Banking to their lobby members. The relaxed attire was meant as a way to remind
members that they could do their banking in their pajamas, in the comfort of their own home, and at a
time that is convenient for them.
The PJ push was ultimately successful for the Credit Union. Over the course of the week, 49 additional
members signed up for eStatements – increasing their eStatement enrollment by 9.25%. In addition to
eStatements, 17 new members enrolled in Home Banking – nine of which signed up for eStatements as
well.
To get their staff motivated for the promotion, the Credit Union had t-shirts made with taglines that read
“Be online, Not in Line” and “Home Banking: Safe Easy
Convenient Useful – and Free!” In keeping with the
environmentally friendly theme of the week, the Credit
Union gave out green plastic reusable cups and green
reusable shopping bags with the credit union logo on
them. Additionally, every member who enrolled in
eStatements was entered into a drawing for a $50 gift card.
Pictured (Left to Right): Monica Kinmon, Heather Grennan, Suzie
Branch and Terri Fedyk.
After Hours Pager Support
260-625-5107 or 317-713-2065
If pager support is needed during the pager hours listed below and one of the following situations applies, there will be
no charge for the pager call:
1. Issue would prevent your credit union from opening for business and can be resolved remotely.
2. Issue occurs during normal credit union business hours and can be resolved remotely.
Normal Pager Support
Monday through Friday:
7:00 a.m. EST to 8:00 a.m. EST
5:00 p.m. EST to 9:00 p.m. EST (6-9 for Software)
Saturday:
9:00 a.m. EST to 1:00 p.m. EST
Month-end Support
Weekday:
No pager. Office hours extended until 9:00 p.m. EST
Extended Saturday pager hours:
1:00 p.m. EST – 5:00 p.m. EST
$240/hr for weekend extended pager hours, if billable
$180/hr for normal pager hours, if billable
Calls placed outside pager hours will be returned at 7:00 a.m. EST on Monday through Friday or 9:00 a.m. EST on Saturday.
If the page cannot be handled remotely, charges for travel and labor will apply. If page is deemed billable, it will be subject
to a minimum 1-hour charge.