2017 PAT Conference in Review - 5 Key Takeaways

Our Product Advisory Conference, which took place in Denver last month, gives us the opportunity to share new products and initiatives that demonstrate how we are staying on the cutting-edge of software development. It is also a platform for our customers to give feedback and acquire knowledge from their credit union peers. This year’s theme was “Evolve Constantly. Perform Exceptionally. Lead Boldly.” These three tenets represent the core of what we do at EPL as an industry-leading software development and services company.

While many great achievements were covered, new initiatives planned and wonderful experiences shared, we simply don’t have the space to recap it all here. So, here are EPL’s top five takeaways from what was surely the best conference yet!

1. Progress on the product roadmap. We were pleased to show substantial progress on our product roadmap, which will provide our customers with the solutions they need to remain competitive in the marketplace. Together with Dedagroup, we are developing innovative software solutions and unlocking new opportunities through partnerships with organizations like Juniper Payments, LLC. Our new, innovative General Ledger, robust Relationship Pricing package, new In-House Credit offering, CUe-Branch online and mobile banking upgrades, Teller Operational efficiencies, User Interface enhancements, OFAC/FinCEN and our new EPLOS lending solution are just a few examples of the latest and greatest things happening at EPL. We shared even more robust i-POWER® and proprietary solution updates, including a 188% increase in development!
2. Client responsiveness. We are actively listening to our clients’ needs and responding accordingly. We evolve our products and services constantly to meet the demands of our clients and the marketplace. EPL is dedicated to developing solutions that empower credit unions of all sizes with software that improves member experiences and drives real growth.
3. Culture of collaboration. We are focused on a culture of collaboration within EPL, as well as with our customers. The Product Advisory Conference provides a unique opportunity for credit union leaders to share ideas and gain new insights on what is working for them in the industry. By working with our partners at Dedagroup, we will continue to enhance our software, expand our services and create new efficiencies.
4. Security and compliance agility. We provided a security and compliance update that informed our customers how we are staying abreast of compliance issues in the industry, including the Credit Bureau Furnisher Data Reporting changes. We want our clients to know that we are anticipating industry shifts as well as security concerns by sharing key initiatives and actions we are taking to comply with industry regulations.
5. Position as a global company. Finally, we shared how we – EPL and Dedagroup – are driving a collaborative, inclusive, take-action culture. We are leveraging expertise from our organization and partners to develop comprehensive solutions for EPL’s clients. This effort spans across the globe, from our resources in the U.S. and Mexico to Italy. Along with our partners Dedagroup, Juniper Payments, LLC, we are accelerating the delivery of quality solutions.

EPL is excited about the positive impact we are making while serving our customers and their members. We look forward to continued collaboration as we develop software solutions that meet emerging needs and position ourselves for an extraordinary future together.

Robin Kolvek

CEO

EPL, Inc.

EPL’s May 2016 Product Advisory Team Meeting Recap

May was an exciting month at EPL, as we were thrilled to host our second Product Advisory Team (PAT) Meeting here in our hometown of Birmingham, Ala., at The Wynfrey Hotel on May 23—24, 2016. The biannual strategic meeting provides an avenue to connect more deeply with many of our credit union customers, discuss new developments within EPL’s “Connection Suite” of products and collaborate to identify collective top areas of focus for the upcoming year.

This customer-centric event is significant and meaningful to EPL, as we value our customers and their members’ experiences above all else—it is the core of our industry. We were very pleased with the turnout at the May meeting, with a larger number of credit unions participating than at our first PAT meeting in September 2015. The increased participation is more evidence that our customers know their voices are heard, and they value the opportunity to connect with us and other credit unions in this forum.

Not only is the PAT intended to be the direct voice of EPL’s customer base, but also is intended to empower growth, maximize revenue and improve members’ experiences at credit unions of all sizes. During the first day of meetings, we had the opportunity to discuss progress on initiatives laid out last fall, including general ledger enhancements, relationship pricing, in-house credit cards, proprietary lending services, e-communications, teller operations, online banking and other functionalities of our technology offering, such as security, client support and architecture.

On day two, we engaged collaboratively to hone in on top areas of focus, and will direct our attention toward additional capabilities for the general ledger, more choices and options in lending within i-POWER® and also via integrations, online banking enhancements, major additions to document management, user interface enhancements and advanced account research, including great ATM, debit card and electronic interaction enhancements.

We have recognized the critical need for more in-depth communication on industry issues, and need you—our subject matter experts—to share your institutional knowledge and experience with us during our smaller focus groups. Your insight is invaluable to the process, and plays such a vital role in helping us discover what is working well and what we need to improve upon. Customer insight is what allows us to continue to build a system that better accommodates evolving needs.

Our post-meeting feedback surveys showed that customers positively responded to the new format of the meeting, and we will continue to refine our approach in an effort to increase engagement and streamline various processes. One thing is for certain—we are convinced of the value created by our PAT meetings—not just for improving EPL’s technology offering, but also for building deeper relationships with our customer base as a whole.

At EPL, customer collaboration does not begin with or end at the PAT meeting. We invite you to continue to share your thoughts, concerns and ideas with our customer support team as we look toward our next PAT meeting in November 2016. Until then, we will work tirelessly to deliver on the issues that that matter most to our customers.

If you have questions about EPL’s PAT, please let us know on Twitter, Facebook or via email at rhiannon.stone@epl.net!

Rhiannon Stone

VP, solutions delivery

EPL, Inc.

EPL’s new product advisory team – paving the road to success

Having been in the credit union industry for nearly 40 years, EPL knows one thing above all else – customer feedback matters. Customer feedback is the lifeblood that fuels the innovation and ingenuity behind our products and services. Some of our most rewarding business endeavors, including the decision to build i-POWER®, were the direct result of the feedback posed to us, all thanks to our close and symbiotic relationships with customers. Our customers put their trust in us to deliver industry-leading software and technology solutions, and likewise, we put our trust in them to help us remain ahead of the curve.

Since partnering with Dedagroup NA, the North American subsidiary of the Italian IT services group, Dedagroup ICT Network, we’ve seen some big and exciting changes at EPL. Among those changes include the decision to form our new Product Advisory Team. What is a Product Advisory Team? For EPL, it’s a chance to lay the foundation for an ongoing conversation with you, our customers. It’s a channel by which we can maintain consistent and relevant communication about the topics that matter to you and your credit union. Lastly, it provides a platform that amplifies our customers’ voices. As a customer of EPL, you’ve always been heard, but now you have a megaphone.

What do we plan to accomplish? First, we want to understand your business’ priorities and challenges. We know that no one credit union is the same, and consequently, each customer’s needs differ. However, there will be parallels that we can identify and, in turn, work to address as we continually update our systems and develop new products and services. Our product pipeline is and always will be dependent upon the needs of our customers. Second, we want to demonstrate our commitment to you. Without your vital feedback, we would just be another standard core solutions provider – it’s you that set us apart.

The Product Advisory Team was first unveiled at this year’s client conference as part of EPL’s three-year product roadmap. Since then, we’ve been preparing to launch and are excited to announce that this month we held our first meeting at Ross Bridge Resort in Birmingham, Ala. The turnout was fantastic, but more importantly, the ideas generated were game-changing.

One of the key exercises we conducted was designed to identify some of those priority parallels I mentioned above. As a core software and technology solutions provider, we know that innovation does not happen overnight, and most certainly does not happen without an end goal. By working with our Product Advisory Team to highlight the group’s top five priorities, we not only were able to detect key areas of need, but also ensured that EPL’s continued innovation benefits our customer base as a whole.

This is just the beginning. The Product Advisory Team is not a temporary gathering of the minds or meant to exist on an island. In time, the team will meet again to discuss the next phases of EPL’s evolution and we will invite further customer participation. With your continued help, EPL will become a credit union industry disruptor and challenge the status quo set by the big box providers, all while delivering the best customer service on the market.

Rhiannon Stone

VP, solutions delivery

EPL, Inc.