Innovative is a core value; how do I get there?

Many credit unions I work with have “innovative” in their core values because thriving organizations know innovation is critical to their long-term success. We also know that organizations that fail to innovate risk being left behind in an ever-changing and competitive marketplace. No, it is unlikely that a credit union will become like Apple or…

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Is Data Governance an option? No, it is not!

Data is at the core of every modern organization, from small startups to large multinational corporations. It is what drives businesses, informs decision-making, and provides insights into customer behavior, industry trends, and market opportunities. However, with the increasing amount of data generated daily, it is becoming increasingly difficult for organizations to manage and govern their…

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Is your job spiraling into (un)planned obsolescence?

Yes, even in the financial services sector, robotics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence will disrupt or eliminate your job. Here are the types of jobs that are at risk: Tasks that are simple and repetitious Job functions that can be done using an AI or Machine Learning algorithm. Jobs that involve data entry from disparate…

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Do your Data “Bytes” Have a Bad Aftertaste?

We all know how important data is to our credit union. Let’s face it; we are addicted to reports. We love our reports. We compare day to day, month to month, year to year, and peer to peer. But, let’s get real; we run two reports side by side, and, oh the horrors, the numbers…

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Report Inconsistencies are Frustrating

One of the biggest frustrations found in most credit unions is the numbers between two or more departments don’t jive. The conversation almost always leans toward trying to figure out which data set is correct, which one to believe. The ultimate goal for these organizations is to find that elusive “one source of truth.” So,…

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Three Things That Go Wrong with Data Reports

A consistent issue most credit unions have is the lack of consistency from one report to the next. To diagnose why this inconsistency exists we should look first at these three elements of the report: Timing – two reports run at two different end times or interval times will tell different stories. But it’s not…

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Preparing Your Culture Ready for Data Analytics

When most of us think about data, we think about numbers, charts, graphs, and reports. However, we need to talk about CULTURE. Collecting, aggregating, normalizing, manipulating, and presenting data seems to consume the conversation. However, here is the question we need to ask ourselves, “Is our culture ready to become truly data-driven?” Too often organizations…

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Your Digital Strategy is Probably Wrong

Competing in the digital space is getting more difficult and more and more essential to the credit union’s sustainability. Chances are, your current digital strategy is missing these five things. Organizational Alignment – most credit unions have all their data in silos. IT is doing one thing, marketing another, branches another, call center another, remote…

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Branching Strategy, It Starts with the Member

Historically branches are seen as transaction channels. Today, this view of branches has changed and continues to evolve. Members and potential members like the convenience of brick and mortar, they like the demonstration of financial strength and security. Still, the truth is, they rely less on branches for their daily, weekly, and monthly transaction business…

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