How Elevations CU Leveraged the Windows 10 Update to Enhance the ATM Experience

If there’s one constant in the world of financial services technology, it’s change.

Iteration designed to protect the consumer from fraudsters is well worth the effort of updating, upgrading and patching, but if new software can also be leveraged to enhance the user experience, so much the better. Credit union ATM fleets are in the process of implementing just such an evolution – migrating to Windows 10 operating systems by the Microsoft-mandated January 2020 deadline. Although there are definite improvements to security that accompany the conversion, Elevations Credit Union chose to use this opportunity to also enhance the member experience at the ATM.

ATMs continue to be an incredibly valuable channel for member engagement within Elevations. Our challenge today is to integrate the 40 terminals we operate into our overall digital strategy as smoothly as we can. Marrying the look and feel of the interface, as well as the member experience across ATMs, mobile apps, online banking and in-branch transacting, is something we are working to achieve as a part of our digital transformation journey.

Members Are Already Experiencing the Value of ATM Upgrades

The updated ATM interface from the Windows 10 software looks more like a typical desktop screen or mobile browser. The colors are brighter, and the graphics provide a more modern interface for members as well as providing us with more opportunities for brand consistency. Our marketing staff was able to take the same imagery we have on our web and mobile sites, and incorporate them easily into the ATM channel. That visual recognition is huge in terms of member confidence. When they arrive at our ATM, they know they are banking with Elevations. That’s something we couldn’t necessarily say before the migration.

The other enhancement that lends a more contemporary feel to our fleet is the touchscreen graphics. Instead of having buttons along the side, the screen presents the member with tiles, so it’s a more familiar interaction (particularly for the digital natives among our user base). We also like how the interface creates the opportunity for better first impressions of our credit union for non-members who visit the terminals. This will only improve as we work to add contactless options that allow members to stage their transactions on a mobile app before they even get to the terminal.

Our ATM terminal driving partner, CO-OP Financial Services, has a number of options and personalization features that we were able to leverage and easily incorporate as we made the Windows 10 upgrade. For example, we added CO-OP’s bill mix option solution, which gives users the ability to choose denominations on cash withdrawals, something our analytics tells us members are really appreciating. We’re filling up our $5 and $10 cassette bills regularly. In the future, we plan to take advantage of the screen personalization that will display members’ names, recall their pre-loaded preferences and even behave as the member has “trained” it to in the past.

These updates have allowed us to enhance our technology in ways that are more necessary now than they were even 10 years ago. Consumers have expectations for speed and personalization, which makes it incredibly important to consistently invest in more storage, faster processors and better encryption to manage the security risks that can accompany faster, more convenient service.

Key Lessons – and Advice – on Security and Partnerships

Security in the ATM channel has been a focus of ours, and for most credit unions, for many years now. Our migration to EMV chip card acceptance was a necessary undertaking, and now we are taking fraud prevention to the next level with Windows security features. My main piece of advice to colleagues just getting started with the conversion is to involve your physical and information security teams in the process early and often.

The other lesson learned is the value of vendor partners who really know what they are doing. We’ve had a long, rich history with CO-OP Financial Services, as they have been providing terminal driving services for our ATMs for years. CO-OP provided guidance not only on the order and cadence of steps in the process, but also on how to achieve the consistency and seamlessness we were looking for.

Because CO-OP works with several of the leading core processing, ATM, mobile banking and online banking providers, it is able to shoulder a lot of the load when it comes to changes that need to happen across the board. The company also has made seamless, secure integration a strategic priority for its own evolving business – so they get it. Having a partner that thinks and acts in a complementary way to you is more important now than ever.

Our members want more services. They want more secure transactions. They want everything to be quicker. We want the same for them. Collaborating with innovative technologies companies and partners is how we plan to provide those experiences today and well into the future.

Gary Kindle is SVP, Operations for Elevations Credit Union. He can be reached at gary.kindle@elevationscu.com.