MADISON, Wis. — In an effort to make members' virtual banking easier, UW Credit Union here built an in-house, one-size-fits-all web solution for all operating devices — from PC to smartphones.
With nearly half of the nearly 2 million online banking logins per month coming from mobile and tablet devices, the $1.87 billion credit union was motivated to find a solution that would work across all of the different ways members access the Internet.
"This all started three or four years ago when we went live with our touch-friendly mobile website," said UW CU VP of E-Commerce and Internet Services Eric Bangerter. "We weren't doing apps at all. It was a very simple text-based banking site — no graphics and simple links."
In subsequent years, the rise of smartphones, especially iPhones, changed the landscape for many UW CU members. "The transaction set [we had in place] was too limited and iPhone and Android devices are very capable of doing everything," said Bangerter.
With 199,000 members and 22 branches, UW CU began considering building apps nearly two years ago when the decision was made to offer remote deposit capture.
"Instead of going down the app road, we continued to go down the web route," said Bangerter who has been a web developer for over 20 years. "The app paradigm doesn't work for us. Data needs to be in the cloud so we can update quickly and easily and support lots of different devices and operating systems."
Web Branch
The CU's homegrown, browser-based mobile deposit capture solution was successfully launched nearly a year ago. It operates on iPhone, Android and Windows devices. The latter operating system is often not supported by the majority of financial institutions.
"We have carried that philosophy forward with our entire online banking site, Web Branch," noted Bangerter, who added that the CU supports nine developers who were involved in the building of the solution.
Web Branch, he explained, is comprised of just one set of code. Regardless of the device UW CU members use to access the online banking website, the device screen size — whether a laptop, PC, tablet or smartphone — sizes itself appropriately.
There are certain differences. For example, a desktop screen will offer a left side menu with a wide main content area and enhanced toolbar function. As the screen shrinks down, functions such as the calendar and toolbar are hidden. On smaller devices, the left-hand menu disappears. Bangerter notes that all banking functions, including bill pay, remain on all screens, but are accessed under the main menu.
"So rather than going the app route and supporting lots of different operating systems and devices, we thought to build out a robust, fully functional, responsive site that works everywhere it can be accessed and seen," said Bangerter.
UW CU SVP and Chief Member Solutions Officer Rob Van Nevel explained that members using the credit union's mobile channel have grown 35% in the past year, and almost 100% over the past two years.
"We realize our members are busy," said Van Nevel. "That's why it's important to give them access to the best technology possible so they can bank whenever and wherever they choose, completing transactions in minutes."
While the concept was vetted and approved nearly three years ago, the process started in earnest 15 months ago. Since then, Bangerter and his team have conducted a series of beta tests.
"We tested ourselves here in the Internet services department that did the development work and then we opened it up to our employees group, which was about 400 or so," Bangerter said, adding that the CU supports more than 450 employees in total.
In August, more members were invited to use the solution. To date, there are 15,000 members who have upgraded. The "old" mobile website will remain operational throughout the first two quarters of 2015; however, Bangerter expects significant adoption rates in the months to come. In early November, 20,000 email upgrade invitations were sent to members.
"Our hope is that members will elect to upgrade rather than be forced to upgrade," said Bangerter. "We first contacted our power users, those who log in the most frequently, and we also put a link on our old mobile web branch site to upgrade."
A Mixed Bag
When asked about the breakdown of what devices members are using to access the mobile web branch, Bangerter explained it is a mixed bag. So far, 58% of users are accessing Web Branch via a small screen or smartphone. Desktop users were the next majority at a 25% user rate.
To date, Bangerter and his team have devoted thousands of developer hours to making the solution a success. "This sets us up for the next five-plus years where we don't have to reinvest or do any major overhauls."
When asked if this solution will be made available for sale to other credit unions, Bangerter was unsure. "We have toyed with that idea off and on. It is a significant undertaking for us to choose to do and would likely include starting a CUSO," he said. "But our primary focus remains on our members and not selling [the solution]."
