Technologies that enhance member engagement, advance digitalinteraction via the mobilechannel, improve security and help credit unions understandaccountholders better are the top IT budget priorities heading into2016.

“Rolling out the red carpet for opening and funding newaccounts, especially via the mobile channel, is the most valuabledigital service for credit unions to offer in 2016, because accountgrowth is the one metric that can't be neglected,” Hal Tilbury, CEOof the Henderson, Nev., payment processing and document imagingfirm Bluepoint Solutions said.

Tilbury said convenience will be the most important priority forcredit unions as they determine the right mixture of features andservices; in other words, finding ways to meet members whereverthey are with faster, easier-to-use services offered throughmultiple channels.

“This could mean revving up everything digital from basicservices like deposits and bill payments, to high value-addedservices like personal financial management and electronicstrongboxes,” he said.

Branching strategies are shifting quickly as well.

“Branches of the future will be smaller, streamlined toaccommodate live lending services and equipped with self-servicevideo kiosks (interactive teller machines) for all kinds ofconvenient transactions,” Tilbury said. Tablet-equipped employeesuntethered from teller lines can roam to help members in branchesand even out into the community where new members exist.

Tilbury added that loan applications and processing will be oneof the next big mobile deployments.

“Credit unions that can get their operations paperless and theirorigination processes tightly-integrated will be the ones to fillthis gap,” he said.

The underlying IT strategy for the $131 million Washington,Pa.-based Chrome FCU, formerly Washington Community FCU, an institutionlocated on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, is teaching members how tobank 100% digitally.

“We are really big on pushing out the online, cloud-basedself-serviced digital model to our members. We want them to doeverything online,” Chrome President Christopher George said.

He said the credit union is trying to create a simple,self-serve model that doesn't require a lot of member tutoring.However, when members do venture to Chrome locations, which thecredit union calls stores rather than branches, the cooperativewants to mentor them.

“We want to educate members about services they can performthemselves such as remote deposit capture,” George said.

Learn more about 2016 credit union top IT budget prioritiesin the Dec. 2 print issue of Credit Union Times.