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The implementation of a new CRM system, particularly if it’s tied to a core conversion, can essentially be a full-time job for one or more individuals at the credit union. That’s why $508 million/41,000-member Vibrant Credit Union, Moline, Ill., has assigned a dedicated team to the task of transitioning to a new CRM system in conjunction with a conversion to the DNA core system from CUES Supplier member Fiserv, Brookfield, Wis.
“I’ve been around the banking industry for quite a while, and one of the things I’ve seen is that we tend to invest a significant amount in making a core change or even a change with the CRM and then do a terrible job of implementing it,” says CUES member Matt McCombs, CCE, president/CEO. “What happens is that we tend to have someone responsible for the conversion who also has a day job. Frequently it’s the CIO, who is responsible for making sure your current system is working while simultaneously converting to a new system.”
McCombs and his management team wanted to ensure they were putting enough priority toward the task of the new core and CRM implementation. “We quickly realized that expecting people to manage their normal day-to-day responsibilities while also working on the conversion would be short-changing the process,” McCombs says.
“So, what we did was pull together seven valuable employees from department-level positions as well as one of our VPs, relocated them off site and assigned them to work exclusively on our conversion until our March 2016 launch date.”
The team comes from several areas of the CU, including training, business services, mortgage banking and compliance. There is also a head teller and a retail lender. The vice president had a background in retail and mortgage banking as well as our compliance department. “We committed to only moving some of our great employees into the role for the conversion Execution Team. This meant that we had very strong employees move out of their role and leave a void. We did backfill these roles, which also had us inform the members of the team that they would rejoin the organization in a different capacity when the conversion is complete.”
The team is working offsite so they can work on the project without distractions. ”We wanted to make sure that they were able to focus exclusively on this conversion,” says McCombs. “The Execution Team is our driver to make the conversion go as smooth as possible. Our entire organization is engaged in this process and has taken ownership and excitement of where we are going.”
All totaled, the team will devote approximately 15 months to the conversion, encompassing such activities as cleaning up and readying data for transfer, working with each department at the credit union to map out processes, identifying efficiencies and inefficiencies, and developing a strategy for training. Ultimately, McCombs sees this approach as the most effective way to ensure a smooth implementation of the new system.
“It’s a significant one-year investment, but it will ultimately make the next five years run smoothly,” McCombs says. “We’ll measure the ROI return, looking at what we spent specifically on this team through the conversion process and also looking at the efficiency gains we made per department. For us, that’s really the critical aspect.”
Diane Franklin is a freelance writer based in Missouri.
