For the majority of credit unions, data feels completely overwhelming. Common questions are; Where is it? How do I access it? How can I improve my members' lives? The starting point is actually the end to help gain clarity and create a roadmap for data success. Asking your credit union the following question, "What do we want our data to achieve for our members?"
Here are a few answers to that question:
Members have financial independence and literacy.
Members enjoy a frictionless digital member experience.
Member calls to the call center are handled promptly and accurately.
Members, staff, and stakeholders will be happy using our products and services because it meets their needs and wants.
Members have frictionless access to financial education and resources.
Notice the range and scope of the answers. Why are they all different? Because each credit union is different, each will have unique desired end states. The best about these answers is that they are actual answers from students in the 7-Class Data Education series as they worked on their data strategy roadmap.
Here are a few points to consider when crafting your own "data end game."
1. Where to start?
Envision the credit union after data has been connected and insights have been generated. Consider how data is transforming the members’ lives. What problems has the credit union solved for its members? What is the state of the credit union/member relationship?
2. What time frame should I be considering?
The time frame to consider is five years. This allows for twenty-four to thirty-six months of data integrations, implementations, and building of culture consumption capabilities. In this future world, five years in the future, where will credit union's KPI be? What will be the state of member engagement? Will members be engaging in an omnichannel? Or will it be increasingly more digital? What friction do you envision to be removed? What solutions will the credit union have solidly delivered to the members’ problems?
Spend time envisioning this destination and how data and the member will diverge. Stay true to a credit union’s mission.
3. What questions should I be asking?
In this future state, with your lens anchored on the organizational mission, attempt to answer these following questions:
Why does the credit union exist, and how can data impact that?
What is our competitive advantage, and how can data impact that?
What should we use data for, and what should we not?
Describe what success looks like for the credit union in this new connected data world.
Try to avoid a tactical discussion on operations and focus on identifying success data metrics. These ideally should be found in the credit union KPIs. The outcome from this exercise should help define a measurable goal determined by leadership consensus.
4. Can my end state change?
Yes! Data is dynamic, and conditions do change. You will adjust the end state accordingly.
5. What is the most important thing I should consider?
Starting! Now is a perfect time to create the desired end state for your credit union. Don't wait, because your members are not. They want to continue their relationship with their credit union but will choose other providers if credit unions' do not lesson current obstacles in their experience.
Need help making your Credit Union's Data Strategy roadmap? Check out the resources available in the Data Education Center. We have more articles, white papers, the leading playbook on data transformation and education classes.
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Where can I learn more about how to creating a data vision?
With a stop at the
Data Education Center.
We believe that data transformation doesn't have to feel overwhelming or expensive to be impactful. After helping over 600 credit union leaders launch their data journeys, we have identified several consistent knowledge gaps. We have worked hard to fill these gaps with a variety of educational artifacts:
NEW! Read the Data Education White Paper (found at the bottom of the page)