ENDICOTT, N.Y. – For Visions Federal Credit Union, exceptionalmember service is the name of the game and high-tech servicedelivery is firmly stamped on the top line of the playbook. So whenthe $1.6 billion, 20-branch office credit union heard about LobbyTracking, its interest was piqued. Lobby TrackingT is a Web-basedlobby management system that can streamline lobby traffic andprovide detailed reporting on lobby activity. Credit unionmanagement can access real-time views of multiple lobbies at thesame time and determine which employees are assisting members, howmany members are waiting for service, how long they've beenwaiting, and how long it takes for an employee to, for example,open a checking account or complete a loan application. “Ourinitial purpose with the system was to track the length of time aperson is in our lobby. We do a lot of surveys on customer service,and tracking wait and transaction times is part of our long-termplan to get people in and out more quickly. We used a clipboardbefore. This automates the process and keeps our member informationprivate,” said Frank Berrish, Visions FCU president/CEO. “Ourcredit union is very automated, so the [sign in] touch screen inthe lobby doesn't hurt our high-tech image.” Visions FCU hasinstalled Lobby Tracking in two branches so far and is rolling thesoftware out gradually to the remainder of its branches. Inaddition to monitoring wait and transaction times, the credit unionuses the software to anticipate staffing needs, according toBerrish. Reports generated by the system enable the credit union todetermine busy locations, busy days and time periods, and whichproducts and services need extra manpower during those times. TheLobby Tracking software was developed in-house by Texas TrustCredit Union, headquartered in Grand Prairie, Texas, and has beenin use by Texas Trust CU for about 16 months. Visions FCU purchasedthe software a year ago, and shortly thereafter, Texas Trust CUspun off a separate division, Trust Data Solutions, LLC, which nowmarkets the product. “The trending in statistics is the power ofthe program,” said Greg Varnell, Trust Data Solutions chiefoperations officer. “You can anticipate staffing for particularareas, as opposed to making a decision based purely on foottraffic. You know how many members are visiting on a given day andwhat they are coming in for.” Another valuable feature of thesoftware is its ability to identify coaching opportunities forcredit union employees. Community Resource Credit Union's NetworkManager Tamara Hudson explained, “Let's say we review the averagetime our primary financial officers (PFOs) spend with a member. If10 PFOs have average assist times of 12 minutes and two have timesof 22 minutes, then we see training opportunities.” Baytown,Texas-based $187 million Community Resource CU has two branches andis building a third. They went live with the Lobby Trackingsoftware the first week of August 2005. “Trust Data Solutionsinstalled the in-box product in two days, and then we manipulatedit to meet our requirements. The product gives you the groundworkfor everything you need,” said Hudson. One feature CommunityResource CU modified was the pop-up checklists the software uses toremind credit union employees to complete certain tasks whileassisting members. “For example, if someone comes in and wants todo an address change, a checklist will remind the PFO to change itfor all other associated accounts and to ask if there is a newphone number, e-mail address, etc.,” said Hudson. “The pop-upreminders can be easily modified by the end user. The reminders areespecially helpful on services employees don't handle often.”“Lobby Tracking saves time for our employees,” continued Hudson.“We did not have a sales tracking mechanism in place before. Wewere writing [all our transactions] down by hand. Now, we updateour account database from Symitar each morning, and when a memberasks to see a PFO about an account, the system pulls up thataccount number and populates the screen with all the other namesand accounts attached to that account. Employees don't have to typein that information. It also helps them quickly identifycross-selling opportunities.” The software will run on any system –Windows, Linux, Unix, etc. The open source platform allows foreasy, cost-effective implementation utilizing open standards,according to Trust Data Solutions' Varnell. “The real benefit of itbeing a Web interface is that it is very easy to use. Most usersare comfortable with Web interfaces, and IT does not have to do anydifficult maintenance on the system by editing code,” said Varnell.“It runs in a browser so everyone on the network can access it withno installation necessary on each computer.” The software costs$2,500 for one credit union branch, and $1,000 for each additionalbranch. The annual licensing agreement for 1-5 branches is $2,000per year; unlimited licensing also is available. While staffingbranches, simplifying employee tasks, identifying employee coachingopportunities and flagging cross-selling opportunities are allvaluable benefits of the software, member service appears to be itsprimary selling point. “If a member calls upset and wants to speakto the EVP, because they waited for 45 minutes and didn't get thehelp they needed, we can look up who the PFO was, what steps he orshe took to help the member and how long the service actuallyrequired,” said Community Resource CU's Hudson. Varnell and Berrishalso mentioned the value of accessing that information. “If we havea complaint, members are comforted that we can access informationthat substantiates their complaint,” Varnell said. “If we see thata member waited too long and left without being assisted, we'llsend out a gift card with a note attached telling them we valuetheir business.” On the other hand, sometimes employees should getthe benefit of the doubt. “Occasionally you get a complaint that amember waited an hour,” said Visions' Berrish. “You look it up andfind that it was really only 14 minutes.” [email protected]