In addition to DNA, Telhio will add a host of best-of-breed integrated solutions from Fiserv, including the following customer relationship management and business intelligence solutions for DNA: Prologue Financial Accounting Services, Next Multi-Channel Marketing, tMagic for DNA teller capture, Verifast teller-line authentication, WireXchange wire transfer, ConvergeIT IVR, Wisdom: 5300 Call Report Assistant and Funds Transfer Pricing. 

"We had two separate goals in moving to a new system," Dave Ault, vice president of information technology for Telhio, explained. "One was lending – we needed something with a little more functionality. And second, it came down to the usability of the system and efficiencies."

Santo Cannone (pictured), chief product officer for Fiserv's Credit Union Solutions division, noted, "When you think about where credit unions are today, it is about introducing new products and services, and expanding relationships with existing members. DNA is well equipped to help in mortgage and business banking arenas. We have a full-service mortgage platform plus a full-service commercial banking platform."

Ault noted Telhio's new platform will allow the credit union to automate a number of functions that are currently completed manually. Telhio also desired a platform that was built using the latest technologies, could adapt to its changing needs, and came from a provider with a proven track record and strong portfolio of solutions.

Daniels said Telhio always accommodates members when it comes to making loans, such as business loans and mortgages.

"We can accommodate it online, over the phone, or meet them at their office or home," Daniels said.

Karen Daniels, senior vice president of member services for Telhio, added, "With the new platform, we're going to be able to offer additional loan products, such as '90 days, same as cash' and '12 months, same as cash' loans. Our current platform does not allow us to do those types of loans."

In-branch, Telhio utilizes dialogue banking, in which associates and members view account information on a screen while standing side-by-side.

"With DNA, our ability to do a transaction will be quicker, we can scan their debit card or their driver's license and it will pull up their data," Daniels noted. "It is going to be much easier for our members."

Telhio also said it expects to see improvements on the back-end as well. Currently, it batches checks at the end of the night and then sends them off for processing.

"With this new system, we will be able to scan the check right then," Daniels said.

Another reason why Telhio chose the Fiserv core platform was for its DNAappstore, which allows Telhio to add user-developed features and capabilities to the system.

"Today, if we are lacking some functionality in the core, we have to go back to the core vendor and ask for that functionality to be built into it," Ault said. "It takes six months to a year to get something pushed out. With DNA and their app store, I can choose to go to Fiserv and ask them to build something into the system, or I can go to another credit union or vendor that writes apps for the DNA platform and have them work it up for me. We can have anybody build anything into the DNA platform that we need."

Ault also said he expects a more efficient hardware infrastructure. Telhio now runs its core on a UNIX platform, which is similar to a mini mainframe.

"They are extremely expensive systems," he said. "It is difficult for disaster recovery because it is expensive to maintain. With DNA we'll be running on a Windows-based system, and that significantly reduces the complexity of disaster recovery on our side. Once we can run it on Windows, I can virtualize my core system components and then I am no longer constrained by hardware."

Fiserv has worked out a complete conversion timetable with the credit union, with September 2016 as the target completion month. Telhio and the core processor also established thresholds along the way for testing and ironing out any issues.

Until then, the credit union will be in non-stop training mode beginning in January 2016.

"Training is almost as big as the DNA conversion – it's a massive undertaking," Ault said.

Cannone noted, "Before we do anything with the system, we do a process review because DNA can really enable and upgrade a lot of new processes inside the credit union. So we try to take a look and inventory the credit union's processes and identify areas where there can be improvement during the conversion. One of the important things for the employees of the credit union is to understand where they should see the lift once they go live."

Daniels added, "Everything that we've done impacts everybody and everything. I have been very impressed with Fiserv's training modules and how they walk us along to ensure compliance."

In addition to launching a core conversion, Telhio is changing its digital presence as well. It plans to switch to the Austin, Texas-based software provider Jwaala for both its online and mobile platforms.

"Today they are separate channels," Ault pointed out. "We are excited about getting that product under the same vendor so the functionality will be the same on both channels."

Telhio is shooting to get the online and mobile banking platforms up and running around the second quarter of 2016.

"That is what the members see, and we didn't want to convert our core system and our member facing systems over the same weekend," Ault noted.

Daniels concluded, "We're growing with the intent of being able to provide all financial services that our members will need now and in the future. To really be able to provide value added services and products that our members want, that is really huge for us."