26 Hoosier Banker October 2014 PSP SHOWCASE We have all endured board meetings with two-inch, fully stuffed binders in front of each board member. Worse yet, we have seen stacks of unused papers sitting at the center of the table, destined to go to the shredder. These days, we are all looking for ways to be more “green” within our banks, as well to be more efficient. CSI’s SecureConnect portal solution is a huge step toward both of these goals. The portal solution simplifies the way data is accessed, shared and utilized, allowing banks to enhance board and employee communication, increase productivity and decrease cost. This simple, cost-effective method of communicating saves volumes of time and paper. It provides directors and staff with secure access to necessary materials and confidential information. The board portal maximizes communication with board members by allowing them to view materials in a timely manner and on the electronic device of their choice, such as iPad, laptop or home computer. It also allows documents to be archived and stored for future reference. For example a board member may ask, during a board meeting, “What have we done for this customer recently?” The board portal provides the answer by giving instant access to board materials from previous months. It also creates efficiency by facilitating communication among board members with online votes, discussion threads and collaboration tools. And don’t forget policy review, which is always a challenge. The difficulty is in keeping track of which policies are due for review, who has reviewed them, and whether the acknowledgement pages have been signed. With the portal, this process can be completed with automatic distribution, plus acknowledgement of policies that have been documented and tracked within the system. The result is increased efficiency and substantial time savings. The corporate intranet available through SecureConnect enhances employee communication. It provides a secure, online portal that centralizes communication across the entire institution. With the corporate intranet, banks can reduce the need for email, broadcast messages, paper forms, copies and faxes. It also allows banks to have a fully functional timekeeping, time-off tracking and employee attendance system, and it allows human resource directors or compliance officers to distribute policies and documentation to the entire staff – and receive required electronic acknowledgement of those policies. Nearly 50 Indiana banks have already taken advantage of this convenient solution. Sometimes before a bank moves to this solution there are reservations about board members’ ability to adapt to the technology. Yet once banks migrate to it, they appreciate how smoothly it works, and soon the idea of being in a board meeting without a board portal becomes a distant memory. Because of the amount of staff hours that are saved in board packet preparation, along with paper savings, this solution quickly becomes a “no-brainer.” To learn more about CSI SecureConnect portal solutions, please contact IBA’s Rod Lasley at 317-387-9380 or rlasley@ indianabankers.org, or contact CSI directly through Bill Evers at 800545-4274, ext. 19224, email bevers@ csiweb.com. t Cutting Down on Paper? There Is a Solution! About the Author Rod Lasley is vice president-products & services of the Indiana Bankers Association, and also serves as president of the for-profit companies owned by the IBA. He can be reached at 317-387-9380, email: RLasley@indianabankers.org.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTg3NDExNQ==