What Happens When IT Waits in Your Teller Line?

I heard big thinker Dev Patnik, author of Wired to Care: How Companies Prosper When They Create Widespread Empathy, speak at a board meeting several years ago. Working with Delta Air Lines, Patnik discovered Delta executives felt they delivered an excellent travel experience to their customers. It’s no wonder. When the execs traveled, they went from plush offices to waiting town cars, directly onto the tarmac and into their first class seats. They never “enjoyed” a true airport experience: navigating TSA, overpriced food, countless delays, etc.

Unfortunately, too often I see the same type of disconnect between IT professionals and their credit unions. When is the last time you went through a drive-through? Waited in the teller line? Phoned into your call center? Or, better yet, strapped on a headset and answered calls? Here’s a news flash: Members don’t often call to tell you how wonderful you are. They call because they have a problem or need to get something done. It’s vital for IT to know the business as well as everyone else in the credit union, especially what it is like to be a member across all channels.

This “outside-in” model of IT leadership helps us discover where we are making it hard for members to do business with us (improvement opportunities) and where we delight them (strengths to build on). It also:

• changes the vocabulary of IT from technology to member experience
• forges a strong link between IT initiatives and the organization’s goals
• makes CIOs and IT teams more relevant to their credit unions
• aenerates those “a-ha” moments that allow innovation to flourish

In the IT world, where there are always upgrades to implement or new technology to chase, it’s easy to allow the latest shiny object to distract you from what’s important. Instead, by thinking outside in, responding to the business goals and developing member-focused solutions, you’ll earn a seat at the strategy table, breathe new life into the IT function and make your job that much more fun.

Weldon “Butch” Leonardson leads IT leadership and CIO coaching at CUES Supplier member and strategic provider for technology and enterprise risk management services Cornerstone Advisors, Scottsdale, Arizona.