By Lisa Hochgraf
So a neat thing happened to me when I was stranded in the Toronto airport for a few extra hours yesterday: I paid for my lunch with my credit card using a card machine (the Ingenico 5100 in the picture below) right at my table.
I ate at Casey's, a bar and grill near my gate. When I was done eating (dessert too), my waitress, Maureen, brought the reader over, swiped my card, put the machine down and left.
On my own time (and pretty slowly really, since I was intrigued and new to it), I followed the prompts on the machine and completed the transaction. I approved the food and tax amount, I added in a tip, and then it printed a receipt for me to sign. With the push of one last button, I printed a receipt to take with me.
Sure enough, the same types of readers (branded by ChasePaymentech) were in use on my flight from Toronto to Vancouver. People bought their headphones, snacks, sandwiches and adult beverages using their cards. (It was so unlike the U.S. flight attendants' common request, "Exact change is appreciated.")
So I'm sure this isn't so new or neat to anyone besides this Luddite, but it did trigger this thought that I hope it worth sharing: How are credit unions going to keep up with it all? With all the players and new technology in the credit union space, how can credit unions continue to be true to who they are and keep serving members, without drowning in changes in the marketplace? Who are your best trend spotters? And who helps you analyze the identified trends and best create action plans?
CUES and CUES Supplier members can also read "Promoting Convenience," which includes 10 solid ideas for managing the many technological delivery possibilities CUs have today.
