ImageCenter™ Tools Give Alliant Credit Union

CA S E S T U DY
ImageCenter™ Tools Give Alliant Credit Union Efficiency
and Flexibility
With more than 285,000 members to service, Alliant Credit Union needs to
have check and payment processing down to a science. For members and
staff, it pays to have maximum efficiency in both the front and back office. To
that end, Alliant has used ProfitStars® ImageCenter products for more than
two and a half years. George Rudolph, Senior Vice President of Operations
and Technology at Alliant, describes how this has affected his credit union.
F le x ibilit y a nd Compatibility
“Workflow efficiencies and control were the primary drivers for moving away
from our previous solution,” says Rudolph. “We wanted to streamline our
existing process to provide a better member experience and to have the
freedom to control our work environment and methods.” Switching to the
ImageCenter Interactive Teller Capture™ module opened new opportunities
in this area. “With our previous product, we were not afforded the
opportunity to drive our own workflows and modify our processes based on
the business need,” explains Rudolph.
“One of our most compelling reasons to choose ImageCenter over other
solutions,” Rudolph says, “was the near seamless integration with Symitar®
Episys®, our core processor. Updates to the system, both for ProfitStars and
Episys, are orchestrated efficiently and executed in a timely manner every
time.” The original implementation of ImageCenter was equally smooth.
“The ImageCenter install group was a pleasure to work with,” says Rudolph.
“Very personable and available to answer any questions or to calm nerves.”
F ea t ure s t hat Make Lif e Easier
Rudolph noted that the teller capture module provided new capabilities
regarding deposit review rules and alert management for fraud. As
an enterprise platform, it added operating efficiencies across the
institution. “With the ImageCenter solution,” Rudolph says, “we have a
data consolidation store that houses all of Alliant’s deposits for review and
ultimately for Federal Reserve collection.” He added, “Our end-of-day
balancing process has improved as all teller work is contained and modified
in-house, allowing us to quickly resolve any out-of-balance situations and
minimize losses.”
■ ALLIANT CREDIT UNION
This $8 billion Chicago-based credit
union serves members throughout
the United States. Free checking,
high-yield savings accounts, and
top-notch member service are
among the many features that make
Alliant an outstanding institution.
■ B U SIN ESS CHALLENG E
The credit union’s check capture
and payment processing system was
not flexible enough to enable it to
modify processes and workflows.
There were also inefficiencies in the
operation of the system.
■ SOL U TION
Alliant acquired enterprise
ImageCenter™ products from
ProfitStars®. ImageCenter is fully
integrated into the credit union’s
Episys® core processor, and offers
check scanning, remote deposit
support, ATM deposit management,
and more.
■ B EN EFITS
ImageCenter™ provides the flexibility
that Alliant needed. It improves
the balancing process, helps create
payment data consolidation, and
adds valuable fraud prevention,
search, and presentment features.
CA S E S T U DY
There were also benefits from the product’s near-real-time fraud detection.
“It’s made it easier for our frontline employees,” says Rudolph. “The check
is reviewed through the fraud detection feature at the time the deposit is
scanned, and provides an immediate response. We were previously using a
manual, antiquated method of fraud review. Having fraud detection as part
of the deposit process allows our tellers more time to focus on the member.”
Rudolph noted that ImageCenter easily works together with Alliant’s
mobile payments. “We were able to integrate our mobile solution with the
ImageCenter remote deposit processing with minimal effort. It was simply
a matter of finalizing the file format requirements for proper ImageCenter
ingestion. We are able to catch duplicate items presented as long as the
items are deposited using a proprietary deposit method within Alliant.”
ImageCenter’s research and reporting capabilities have also proven to be a
significant asset. Alliant employees can research items according to the way
they are imported into the ImageCenter system (ATM, teller, and so on). They
can also search by teller name, location, dollar amount, or check number.
Another benefit reported by the credit union is more control over the
presentment process. “We have been able to adjust distribution times,”
Rudolph says. “I would say the process is fairly flexible. We have one
presentment time.”
A dd ed Effic iency – B ringing Mail P a y m ent s I n- Ho use
To add more efficiency to payment processing, Alliant brought all mail
payments in house and uses ProfitStars RemitPlus® to manage the mail. This
product is fully integrated with ImageCenter and supports deposits into
the ImageCenter data store. “We were able to eliminate our relationship
with a third-party service provider to process our remittance,” Rudolph
says. “We send a posting file to the core and the images are handed off
to ImageCenter, which in turn sends the consolidated items to the Federal
Reserve on our behalf. We are now able to submit checks to the Fed directly
at a lower rate. This has given us more visibility into the collection process
which results in a smoother, faster process. The ease of use of the product
and the ability to tailor it to our needs has enabled us to re-dedicate one fulltime position to different work area.”
S um ming Up the Value
“Overall, Alliant Credit Union is satisfied with our selection of ProfitStars
ImageCenter solutions,” Rudolph says. “We received multiple
demonstrations from competitors, but the better choice for Alliant was clear
given our core processing system and our desire to have more control over
our environment. We would recommend the solution to other companies.”
Rudolph sums up the experience like this: “Alliant sought to have more
control over the item process to improve our member deposit experience,
while giving us a more comprehensive approach to back office deposit
management. Nearly three years after selecting ProfitStars, we are still
confident that we made the best decision.”
Additional information is available at www.ProfitStars.com or by calling 877.827.7101
© 2014 Jack Henry & Associates, Inc.® ProfitStars is a registered trademark of Jack Henry & Associates, Inc.
■ IN STITU TION
Alliant Credit Union
■ A DDRESS
11545 W. Touhy Ave.
Chicago, IL 60666
■ TEL EPH ON E
800-328-1935
■ WEB SITE
www.alliantcreditunion.org
■ B RA N CH ES
14
■ A SSETS
$8.1 billion
■ MEMB ERS
285,000
■ PROFITSTA RS SO LUTI O N
ImageCenter Interactive
Teller Capture™
ImageCenter ATM
Deposit Management™
RemitPlus®