Managing customer information is the rage in banking technology these days and now software companies are leaning on one another to keep up with new products and increased bank expectations. So, Miami-based Unisys, one of the largest providers of bank software, recently signed a deal with SPSS Inc., to develop SPSS's analytical software for Unisys' e-@ction financial product.
Unisys, which says 147 banks use its e-@ction product, is no stranger to such partnerships. Unisys, for example, uses Siebel Systems CRM software. But according to Mark Sharratt, vice president and program director for channel and CRM solutions, banks were asking for a "more complete view" of their customers' banking tendencies.
"This offers a higher level view," says Sharratt. "If you're a football coach, sometimes you step off the field and get a view of everything that is happening at once."
The SPSS product, called Discoverlt, will present analytical data gathered from channels such an ATM or call center. The current Unisys software already gathers and presents data of a customer's transactions in the branch. This information, unlike front office CRM, is presented to upper-level management and bank executives.
"The cost of channel delivery is out of control," says Sharratt. He says that 80% to 90% of all sales are made in the bank branch, and spending on channels such as ATMs and the Internet costs banks a lot of money.
David Blyer, president of SPSS, says analytical software can be used by banks to determine strategies that initiate cross-selling. "Analyzing where your customers most frequently use or least use your branches and ATMs may help you decide where you want to build your next branch or ATM."
