As our CU grows, what are your panel's thoughts on suppliers/vendors getting involved or giving feedback on candidates a CU is considering for an IT position?
David McConney, EVP/General Manager
Credit Union Core Systems, Harland Financial Solutions, Pleasanton, Calif.
Most credit unions have HR departments in-house or outsource the function to screen and recruit personnel, IT or otherwise. Technical contacts from suppliers/vendors can lend some expertise into which areas to focus and specific questions to ask when interviewing IT candidates, however, HR should have the expertise to ask the right screening questions in order to bring in the right IT candidates. HR can also coach hiring managers on specific areas in which to focus when interviewing IT candidates.
Networking with other credit unions is another good way to garner information and criteria about IT staff expertise and specific areas of focus. Suppliers/vendors can refer you to their existing credit union clients they may have extensive working knowledge of their systems/solutions, if that expertise is vital and sought after for the position to be filled. That, however, should be the extent solicited from suppliers/vendors on IT candidates.
Doug True, President
FORUM Solutions, Indianapolis
If your relationship with your supplier/vendor is one in which they are simply a supplier or vendor, the answer is no, they should not be involved in this important decision.
It is acceptable for a supplier/vendor to contribute to the building of the requirements for the job, but they should keep their distance on the decision making process of who to select. If the relationship is more of a partner, meaning they know your business, then it may make sense to gain their input on the selection of a candidate.
When making hiring decisions you need to hire for the right technical skill set-this is the table stake so to speak. It is equally important that you hire someone who will enable your credit union teammates to serve members and understand the business demands on those teammates who provide service day in and day out. Only the credit union has a good feel for if such candidates will embrace the credit union's culture.
Terry Treadwell, CPA
Tampa Bay, Fla.
It depends upon the particular situation. Is this a key management position where leadership and "big picture" skills are more important attributes or, is this a technical operator position where particular core system expertise is required?
Credit union IT positions are often filled with candidates employed with core vendors and feedback is certainly appropriate as part of your background reference-checking process. On the other hand if you are hiring a key IT executive, a vendor opinion might not be useful in the event the candidate has not worked in that capacity with your vendor.
Hopefully, your pre-employment background screening processes are tailored to consider each unique job requirement to help you land the best candidate for each position. In the event there is an uncertainty regarding technology skills, your technology vendors can be valuable resources.
John San Filippo, Marketing Manager
Symitar Systems, San Diego
We find that most of our clients have a pretty good feel for what they need in terms of IT staff. However, sometimes a credit union does reach a point where they're ready to "kick it up a notch" technologically speaking, and may not have a clear idea of exactly what they need staff-wise to do so.
In these cases, we'd be more than happy to help a client develop measurable criteria for a new hire. That said, I do believe that the evaluation of individual candidates is outside the scope of the vendor/credit union relationship and probably not an appropriate activity.
Tom Desot, EVP-Vulnerability Research and Regulatory Affairs
Digital Defense, San Antonio
This is a fairly common practice, especially with positions related to information security, or areas where institutions may not have a great deal of in-house experience such as a particular core processing platform, or the utilization of a certain software development language.
The key to success when utilizing a trusted vendor in this capacity is to ensure that everyone involved is aware of what the goals of the joint interview are, and what the roles and responsibilities of each party are during the time spent with the candidate.
Done properly, joint interviews can be a great way for the institution to vet candidate experience and quickly come up with a short list of individuals that the institution can then match against team fit needs and other criteria.
Chris Barber, WesCorp
San Dimas, Calif.
In order to make the most informed decisions, it's always good to have as much information as possible on IT candidates. If the individual has worked for the vendor in the past, their input may be of value. A vendor would be incited to provide positive feedback if they have a good relationship with the candidate since it strengthens the vendor's position at the credit union. If this is the case, they may not be in a position to provide objective feedback which is the goal of the input. All that being said, I don't believe vendors should be encouraged to entrench themselves so deep into your organization that they begin to influence the decisions regarding your leadership and business strategies.
Does your panel see any value in hosting a web seminar or posting a video for members on how to better use our tech solutions and, if so, what works best?
Terry Treadwell
Having to post videos or host webinars to show members how to better use various technologies sounds to me like the technologies must not be very intuitive to start with.
Speaking with my credit union member hat on I pledge:
* To use your online loan application-if it is easy and intuitive (and safe).
* To use your online banking-if it is easy and intuitive (and safe).
* To pay my bills online-if it is easy and intuitive (and safe).
* To use your automated telephone banking -if it is easy and intuitive (and safe).
Online demos controlled at my pace are a personal preference. Also worth mentioning- members are more inclined to use your online tech solutions if you provide them with price breaks to do so. Discount pricing for automated services usage is something all credit unions should try.
John San Filippo, Symitar
I guess this all depends on the technology-and on the members. It comes down to the Golden Rule: credit union, know thy member.
For example, if you were introducing Health Savings Accounts to retirees-i.e., people who generally like to visit a branch anyway-an in-house presentation could be just the ticket. On the other hand, if you're rolling out Remote Deposit Capture-a product designed to eliminate the need for branch visits-to your business members, a webinar probably makes sense. Using Mobile Banking as another example, your Gen-X and Gen-Y members might get the most benefit from a video they can watch online like YouTube.
The key is matching the right information and the right delivery channel to the right member. That's something that will, of course, vary from credit union to credit union.
Chris Barber, WesCorp
Webinar, web video, video podcast, audio podcast, or other formats can all be effective if they are marketed properly to the members. By using this type of eChannel you can reach a very large group of individuals for a relatively small cost. In the case of podcast, it allows the members to view the video where and when it is convenient for them. It's a much more effect way to train members on products. No travel is required and they can re-play the video as often as needed. Another added benefit is that it can drive traffic to your website allowing the credit union to track who is coming to view the videos, understand who is viewing, and what content would allow you the opportunity for cross selling.
David McConney, Harland
Absolutely. Today's young consumers are very savvy about shopping rates and services that financial institutions offer. To remain top-of-mind and continually educate and offer additional products and services to this growing segment, videos and Web seminars can demonstrate a state-of-the-art approach. Testimonial advertising and ongoing member education will benefit the credit union in the long run. Any opportunity to further educate members on the use of products and services should, at the very least, be attempted to judge the level of its success. Suppliers/vendors use this method with their client base successfully on a regular basis. Why not try the same with your members?
Joseph A. Cooper, Director of Financial Services
TraceSecurity, Inc., Baton Rouge, La.
Absolutely, a well crafted presentation can be an extremely effective method for not only educating members on effective use of your technology offerings but can help them avoid technology pit falls as well. From demonstrations on how to utilize MFA to training on the dangers of SPAM e-mails and identity theft, a visual interactive approach may be the only way to convey your message.
One credit union I recently heard from was having a very difficult time with member adoption of MFA and asked me how they might help their members. We discussed many of the options available from a live training session at their annual members meeting to the use of products such as WebEx and Camtasia. While waiting until the annual meeting might not be practical, your credit union could certainly host a weekend event that could include a member training session. For your members that might be remote, WebEx, www.webex.com, allows you to do a virtual presentation anywhere over the Internet.
Similarly, www.techsmith.com allows you to easily capture presentations or demonstration with audio directly from your computer and distribute for playback by anyone at anytime. Over the years I have worked with many credit unions developing and distributing training programs for members and in all of these cases what started out as a need to educate not only solved that issue but turned into a great opportunity for the credit union to build member dedication and interaction.
So by all means, host a training event either in person or on-line, I am confident you will see great results that you may not have even anticipated.
Doug True, FORUM Solutions
When evaluating ways to communicate with your members each credit union should make decisions based on the unique composition of their membership. Do you have a feel for how tech-savvy your overall membership is? What percentage of your members are using your online channels? This percentage should be able to give you a feel for the type of membership you generally have. For example, if your penetration rate is high then having online videos may be an extremely effective tool - your members might embrace them when needed. Keep in mind that most members will access these tools in what they call Just-In-Time (JIT) learning mode, meaning when they need an answer. Don't be naïve to think that members are browsing your site and use such tools casually.
The goal with any technology is to enable member participation with credit union services. Communication methods such as screen-casts, online demonstrations, in-branch demonstrations, searchable knowledge bases, custom messaging via internet banking, and even videos can all be very effective in helping members interact with a technology delivery channel.
If you do use technology-based communications, please keep them short and make them fun. Most members are time starved and want to be entertained while they are learning.
Readers: Ask CUJ Technology Panel Experts
Readers can leverage the Credit Union Journal's panel of technology experts by submitting any technology-related questions to the panel Managing Editor Lisa Freeman at lfreeman
