Today's financial servicesclients need to be served around the clock. Institutions are taskedwith finding the best way to develop capabilities, enabled bytechnology, that address the operational and logistical challengesinherent in operating in a customer-driven, 24-hour world.

Existing credit union distribution models are shaped by severalfactors, including the traditional route to market and how clientsconnect and interact with the institution. Starting with branches,the traditional distribution model has evolved with the developmentof technologies such as the telephone, ATMs and the Internet. Whilethese technologies provided increased options for clients tointeract and transact, they were still affected by constraints ofthe existing operating model– the availability of staff with therequisite skills.

How so? Contact centers, telephone, and online transactionsrequired a shift in staffing models to enable customers to interactand transact outside of the normal work day. ATMs began to allowcustomer self-service for certain basic transactions at any time ofday. Collectively, these technologies extended operating hours forclients, but services were limited due the fact that the expertiserequired for more complex services were still unavailable outsidethe traditional workday.