Jack Henry Banking’s Service and Automation are a Standout for this Minnesota Bank

“Jack Henry has a great support staff and it helps to know that

they truly understand what customer support is all about.”

Scott RochollPresidentFarmers State Bank

Institution:Farmers State Bank

Location:Underwood, Minnesota

Website:www.farmersstbank.com

Assets:$64 million

Founded:1915

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“Jack Henry’s focus on our needs enhances the support we can give our customers.”

Scott Rocholl

Farmers State Bank became a Jack Henry Banking® Core Director® customer in October, 2012. It also outsources its core operations with Jack Henry. To learn about the bank’s experience with Core Director, we spoke with Scott E. Rocholl, President, and Shyla Swanson, Vice President.

Jack Henry Banking (JHB): What were the compelling business reasons for selecting Jack Henry and Core Director?

Scott: Our previous core provider was not offering adequate customer service. The system was also archaic. Moving to Jack Henry was like going from the 1950s to the 2000s.

Shyla: As an example of our previous level of service, we once called in with a problem, and when the provider finally called us back, they asked for someone who hadn’t worked at our bank for three years.

JHB: Tell us how Core Director is helping you achieve growth goals.

Shyla: The products you have to offer, such as online banking and mobile banking, have been a benefit in getting new customers.

Scott: You can’t ask new customers to join a bank today without offering services like these.

JHB: Has Jack Henry had a positive effect on customer service?

Scott: When we have a problem that might affect a customer, we’ll ask Jack Henry about it and get an immediate answer. The issue is typically resolved within an hour vs. weeks. Jack Henry’s focus on our needs enhances the support we can give our customers.

JHB: Has your partnership with Jack Henry improved day-to-day operations and operating efficiencies?

Scott: The automation has improved efficiency. The old system was based on tickets that were manually entered. Now we have direct posting. It’s all done within the core – transfers, payments, GL, and everything. Posting a transaction has gone from three minutes to 30 seconds.

Shyla: Since beginning to use Jack Henry’s teller capture last fall, we’ve reduced teller labor by the equivalent of half a person. We now use that time to do other tasks.

JHB: Are there any specific features or functions of Core Director that have exceeded your expectations?

Scott: Across the board for everyone, it’s been the customer support. It used to take two to three weeks to get a response to a support question, and now we’re surprised if we don’t get an answer by end of day. Jack Henry has set the bar high.

Shyla: It’s the support. It’s fast – sometimes just ten minutes, and sometimes the support person will just do the work for us. It’s above and beyond.

Core DirectorThe intuitive, growth-enabling banking platform

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“With Core Director, we don’t take a backseat when it comes to offering new solutions and new technology.”

Shyla Swanson

JHB: How did your employees react to the change to Core Director? What was the conversion process like?

Scott: There is always fear about changes and not being able to do things like we used to. In this case, at least 90% of processes were so much better that we forgot about any concerns we had. Plenty of JHA staff were here onsite for our conversion, and they helped with training and more. It was beyond just getting everything back online.

JHB: Why was the decision made to convert to our outsourced environment versus In-house?

Scott: A big part of the decision to outsource our core processing was based on the technical work done by Jack Henry’s data center staff. For example, one of our technical employees was about to retire so this was good timing. It’s not easy for us to find computer expertise locally, and outsourcing with Jack Henry relieved some of this. It saved personnel costs, and it also relieved concerns about firewalls, cybersecurity, and backup plans. Jack Henry has backup locations across the U.S., and that’s something that we can’t do. So outsourcing with Jack Henry was a move forward for us in that regard. We’ve never regretted it; not once.

JHB: What are the competitive advantages produced by using Jack Henry and Core Director?

Shyla: It allows us to tell our customers that we have all the products they would get from any bank. With Core Director, we don’t take a backseat when it comes to offering new solutions and new technology.

Scott: The move was like going from a Model-T to a DeLorean, and the multiple products you offer were an advantage. With our last core processing partner, many third-party products were used, and if there was a problem, there was finger-pointing at the third-party. When using a Jack Henry product, such as remote deposit capture, both the processor and product maker are the same.

JHB: Can you speak to the integration of any complementary products?

Scott: It’s seamless. It was ad hoc before; now it works well. It’s good that other vendors work with Jack Henry, too. If we want to use a third-party product, and tell them that we use Jack Henry, they just smile and say that integration is not going to be a problem. In the past, we would get nervous if a vendor said they hadn’t worked with our processor before. We’d feel like our customers were guinea pigs.

JHB: What would you say to other banks about Core Director and Jack Henry?

Scott: Jack Henry has a great support staff and it helps to know that they truly understand what customer support is all about. In addition, the seamless integration with all other components in the bank, from debit cards to call reports, it all works together.

Shyla: It’s the support staff that makes the difference. If our own staff has to work with a problem, and if it takes two or three days, it burns up a lot of their time. Handling issues efficiently with Jack Henry support saves us an incredible amount of time.

For more information about Jack Henry Banking®, or to schedule a demonstration or talk to an existing user, email askus@jackhenry.com, call 417-235-6652, or visit www.jackhenrybanking.com.

© 2017 Jack Henry & Associates, Inc.®

Core Director is a Windows-based banking platform that supports progressive community banks - ranging from de novo banks to institutions with assets approaching $1 billion – with enterprise-wide automation that leverages the industry’s most cost-efficient operating platform.

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