NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Make IT real and make it matter.

That was one position posed Friday by Ed Brett of WestminsterSavings Credit Union in British Columbia to attendees at the CUWater Cooler Symposium in the Frist Center for the Visual Arts.

The Canadian credit union's manager of product and deliveryservice said the challenge with technology and banking has been howto take those concepts that exist in the abstract and make themreal.

• WATCH the live stream from the CU Water CoolerSymposium
• READ more coverage of the CU Water CoolerSymposium

“The most important part of the Amazon experience for me is notwhat occurs at the point of purchase but what happens seven dayslater. There's the package and it's Christmas or my birthdayagain,” said Brett.

“When I was in IT the things that mattered to the organizationwere abstractions to me,” he said. “IT is disconnected from thatconversation and that is a risk for your credit union. It'sdangerous to have your IT group treat your members as abstractionsas well. “

He advised marketers to be excellent observers of the littlethings.

“Look for ways that members actually use the technology ratherthan how you want them to,” said Brett. “How you want them to havea relationship with you is not up to you anymore so you have tostart paying attention to what really matters.

He added that IT has been an untapped, underutilized resourceand looking ahead there should more of an effort to include IT inthe strategic process.

“Have them be a part of the discussions and let them takeresponsibility for the growth, strategy in your credit union and beas creative about your credit union as your systems,” saidBrett.