Paul Citarella
Executive Vice President
Alogent Corporation

We are at an interesting crossroads in banking operations where bankers no longer have to choose technologies that only drive profits, or reduce costs, or increase customer satisfaction and loyalty. While on the surface these goals may appear mutually exclusive, there are numerous technology solutions available that – when properly implemented – can support a convergence of basic objectives, where this was not easily achievable in the past.

Branch deposit automation is a good example of this new opportunity. Tellers can now quickly and efficiently handle tasks that have been traditionally performed in the back office, enabling the financial institution to leverage real-time capabilities such as error correction, fraud protection, and faster funds availability. There are also tremendous efficiency gains and cost reductions enabled by branch deposit automation, because in truncating paper items, the institution can eliminate expensive courier fees from transporting them between branches and centralized processing locations.

Institutions are learning that by automating deposit processes at the branch, they can increase profits when tellers have more time to cross- and up-sell their products and services. Our Sierra Xpedite® suite of remote deposit automation solutions has been found to increase teller productivity by 25-40% or more, and to produce approximately 90% read rate accuracy on checks deposited. This enables even new employees to spend more time selling to customers without reducing their transaction volume, and to deliver more personalized service. In the long term, all of this translates into greater customer loyalty.

Branch deposit automation improves float management and facilitates earlier fraud detection. Not only can Alogent’s system capture, validate, endorse, proof, and balance checks, it can automatically send large-dollar amount checks through risk mitigation procedures that are unique to each institution. This end-to-end workflow represents a true real-time check processing environment that we call Straight Through Check Processing™.

The success of Alogent’s image-based deposit automation solutions is evidenced by our client base: more than 1,000+ institutions ranging from de novo banks all the way up to five of the largest US banks have successfully deployed our solutions. Using the advantages of Microsoft .NET development, we have the flexibility to quickly develop and customize our applications. And, combined with a service-oriented architecture (SOA) approach, we now integrate into the industry’s greatest number of bank processing platforms.

David Hampton
Managing Director, Financial Business Solutions
Getronics

Current market conditions are somewhat problematic for retail bankers looking to increase profits and reduce costs. It is difficult to determine the best strategies for delivering the right mix of profitable products and services. Yet one thing is certain – every delivery channel is expanding, and no channel can be marginalized in its respective importance to consumers.

Successful institutions will be ones that make banking as convenient as possible for their customers, whether it is in person, or online, or by the telephone via their call center, IVR or mobile banking. The future is looking more and more mobile, but again the branch network – once predicted to be replaced by Internet banking – is as thriving and important as ever.

At Getronics, our Channel Renewal solution provides a comprehensive set of IT services required to support all of the delivery channels that customers demand and expect today. Whether they are simply banking or planning their future, they want to bank whenever, wherever and however they choose. While our software applications are best in class, recently earning Getronics the 2007 Microsoft Custom Development Solution Partner of the Year award, our services extend far beyond software to include security, networking, workspace management and multi-channel integration. Our clients view us as extensions of their IT departments, enhancing their ability to manage the ebb and flow of IT projects.

When developing a working relationship with an institution, one goal we establish is to free up their resources so they can focus on their core competencies and provide stellar customer service. One way to do this is by taking capital technology investments off the table and keeping costs down with significant IT labor savings. This solution is a perfect example of how banks are cutting costs, while simultaneously standardizing on a modern branch environment that efficiently runs their core technologies. It is a unique cost of ownership model, one that gives our clients the flexibility to respond to market conditions quickly and on a continuous basis.

Our clients, who range from global financial leaders to regional institutions, are reaping numerous benefits from their investment in the retail banking applications we have developed and are delivering on the Microsoft .NET platform. We are pleased to extend these benefits end-to-end by leading the way with network, desktop, and infrastructure services – providing banking institutions the support they need to remain competitive in their markets.

• Edward Woods, Senior Analyst – Banking, Celent, LLC
• John Macaluso, CTO, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Marketing, Fiserv CBS Worldwide
• Michael D. Nicastro, Senior Vice President – Marketing and Product Management, Open Solutions Inc.
• Brian C. Hurdis, President, Metavante Image Solutions
• Tom Berdan, Vice President, Product Management, Harland Financial Solutions
• Steve Buchberger, Senior Vice President – Payment Solutions, WAUSAU
• Kirk Herrington, President and Founder, GaleForce Solutions Inc.
  
• Greg Haislip, Managing Director – Banking, Microsoft Corporation
  
• Kevin H. Connelly, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Financial Services Group, Trintech, Inc.
• Paul Citarella, Executive Vice President, Alogent Corporation
  
• David Hampton, Managing Director, Financial Business Solutions, Getronics