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May 23, 2013 |
A vendor-client relationship is just that, a relationship. And all relationships require open and honest communication.
How does that develop between vendors and clients? It starts with the vendors themselves – and more often than not, the vendors that have the best relationships inside their own organization end up with the best relationships with outside clients.
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April 24, 2013 |
Video game giant Electronic Arts released a highly-anticipated update of its "SimCity" game last month – and it probably could not have gone worse.
The highly anticipated new version of the classic PC game had a new feature: It required gamers to be connected to the internet to play. EA's servers quickly were overloaded, frustrating hundreds of thousands of players who had paid $60 or more for the game – but couldn't play it.
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April 03, 2013 |
Is it time to upgrade your legacy systems?
The answer isn't a clear-cut "yes."
It's not "no," either.
It's "maybe," with an addendum: Whatever you decide, make sure you've carefully considered all of your options. There are more than you may think.
That sounds obvious. But, as I wrote about in a prior post, there's fierce debate and often a surprising amount of emotional involvement amongst the IT professionals you depend upon to advise you. Understanding your options and their relative value to your business can get very tricky.
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March 27, 2013 |
Some clients get a better value from their technology vendors. That's not because contractors try harder, stay up later, take less money, or prioritize one client over another. It's because some clients make it easier for the vendor to succeed within their organizations. Others can make it hard to get anything done at all.
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February 15, 2013 |
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I've been involved in many planning meetings. In today's environment of technological expansion, institutions of all sizes must face the planning process with technology in mind – almost regardless of the initiative. But too many times, I've seen the process stumble, often from easily avoidable mistakes. To kick off planning for 2013, here are the top 5 easily avoidable planning mistakes I've witnessed the most often.
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January 09, 2013 |
Everyone is strategizing for 2013. Whatever you're looking at, whether it's the housing market, new regulations, branch dynamics, shifts in customer behavior or any of the myriad strategic concerns affecting the nation's credit unions, most of you will be doing so without the benefit of a senior technologist in the room. I'd like to suggest that you resolve to change that dynamic for the future, starting in 2013.
Resolve to make technology strategic.
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December 12, 2012 |
A quick Google search of the term "customer-centric banking" will yield a wealth of whitepapers, dedicated websites, case-studies, research and plenty of marketing material all designed to leverage an industry in flux. Much of the rhetoric sounds the same, with similar conclusions. But all of it is predicated on a need for the banking industry to start focusing on customer service again – but unlike ever before.
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December 05, 2012 |
IBM announced this week that it is retiring its Lotus brand. OK, your organization may not be affected by the demise of this famous marque. Your leadership may not be suddenly considering the complicated, costly options for its replacement. In fact, everyone has seen this coming for years. But the discontinuation of a brand, once so dominant, should serve to remind us that in the world of software, nothing is forever.
You may not be losing any sleep. But, if IBM's flagship products are vulnerable to the vagaries of a constantly changing, constantly challenging environment, what about the software products you're running on now? How confident are you that they'll be around tomorrow?
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October 10, 2012 |
As financial services consumers continue to migrate to the online environment – for an ever-expanding array of services – it is crucial to be good at making their experience as seamless as possible.
Unlike the days of brick-and-mortar, customers are not captive. Whereas they once sat with you in person to complete a transaction, now, if you're online experience is anything less than easy, intuitive and pleasant, they can click elsewhere, running into the waiting arms of your easier-to-work-with competitors.
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September 06, 2012 |
An increasingly common challenge for credit unions is facing the need to upgrade or expand their software packages. Perhaps your core banking system, or one of the many other software packages available, such as teller systems, internet banking, mobile banking, lending and mortgage packages may be in need of replacement, addition or update. Of course, every vendor will tell you that their product is the best for your needs. But how will you judge for yourself which is really the best investment?
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