The Understanding Group (TUG)

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North American Bancard | Integrating Multiple Systems

North American Bancard is a financial services company that makes it easy to handle credit card processing and merchant services, both in-store and online. TUG helped NAB design and architect a new CRM system that integrated more than six legacy systems into an easy-to-use integrated system with a corresponding integrated data model.


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The Problem: Multiple Interfaces, Confusion and Poor Data Quality

Like many digital innovators, North American Bancard (NAB) built a variety of custom software systems to support new services over the years. The result was a complex and complicated digital environment where customer service reps had to juggle multiple interfaces during one service event. The confusion and poor data quality were starting to interfere with NAB’s ability to grow.

The Solution: An Easy-to-Use Integrated System

TUG helped NAB design and architect a new CRM system that integrated more than six legacy systems into an easy-to-use integrated system with a corresponding integrated data model. In the end, the client thanked us for challenging their business processes and identifying artificial complexities. Most importantly, we helped NAB transform its culture by leading the design effort which put employee success as the primary metric.


How We Succeeded: Strategy, Roadmap, Analysis and Synthesis

Strategy and Roadmap

The first step was to help the NAB leadership team align on a shared understanding and assessment of the current state and then chart a clear vision for a desired future state. Interviews with subject matter experts across the value stream focused on technology, business processes, and user experience associated with customer service. We then defined the desired future state through a variety of maps and models that told the story of the future as a guide to building.

Analysis and Synthesis

TUG performed an organizational gap analysis on NAB's CRM. That analysis and user personas provided input to the interface design and front-of-house model. TUG also modeled the back-of-house operations and conducted a value chain analysis to help NAB differentiate between inherent and artificial complexity to improve the operational model. Together, these informed the buy/build decision to develop the new system in-house.

Synthesis Framework Delivery

With the decision made to build in-house, work focused on designing a coherent information architecture for the combined functionality and detailed models of key business areas such as case management and account profile structure which needed better definition.


Epilogue

With the core architecture of the new system defined, NAB used the TUG-supplied detailed specifications to support its development effort. Work progressed from models and business rules representing components to more detailed wireframes. NAB successfully launched the new CRM, which was well received by all involved.

I cannot thank TUG enough for making our vision become a reality. You challenged our business processes, identified our artificial complexities, and most importantly helped us transform our culture by leading the design effort to deliver a tool that shows our employees we are putting them and their success first.

—Lindsay Malloy, Director of Customer Care and Transformation