Implementing Technology with Clio Silman // Cornerstone Hot Takes

A lot of people are making technology changes, and the most important part of that is making sure that the new technology goes in correctly.

So I know you spend a lot of time with clients making those implementations go smoothly. What are you seeing? What are some of the trends, and what are some of the challenges that you’re seeing in that space?

We’re definitely seeing the trend continue with a lot of implementations in the queue for next year. It’s a good balance of core and digital.

Okay.

A little bit of CRM, a little bit of loan origination systems, but a lot of core and digital.

Okay.

And it’s really just your typical, the institution’s been on the same core forever, and they’re growing and they need something that’s going to meet their needs. Our goal is to make sure that implementation has as little risk as possible and that they don’t just convert to themselves.

I mean, it’s time to look at your processes. Don’t change like for like.

Exactly. Let’s optimize those processes. Let’s find some automations and better ways to do things.

There’s more choice in the digital space, right? So there’s probably a more diverse set of implementations versus cores.

It’s a little bit of both, but what we’re seeing in digital is, digital is all about feature functionality. That’s customer- or member-facing, and we’re seeing that they want it all.

Are we seeing more folks implement cores in a modular way? I know there’s talk about side cores and all this other kind of discussion. Or do you think it’s more, “We’re just ripping this thing out because it was built in ’73 on a Cray supercomputer and we need to...”

So far, we’re seeing the rip and replace.

Okay. Is it cloud? Is it a mix?

Typically, it’s cloud and a big focus on third-party integrations.

Okay. So more APIs, less, “I’m going to share a file, and I’m going to take a file and ingest it.”

And I think we’ll see a move toward more real-time. Up front, you’ve got to make sure you understand your needs and your gaps, and then bring those forward into implementation. Don’t lose sight of those, or again, why are you implementing?

Got it.

And there’s inherent risk, and we just need to manage it and watch out for the pitfalls.

Lots of pitfalls around your use of social media during your implementation.

Ah.

Don’t let the world know, or manage it. Be watching it so that if something does go bump, all you need is one person to complain and it sort of goes like wildfire. So embrace it and use it.

Sure.

So that’s a big one we’re seeing.

Gotcha. Okay, so just to recap, right? Don’t change like for like. If you’re making a decision to convert, there better be a good reason behind it. Make sure you’re getting all the benefit out of the new platform, the new system, and optimize that.

But also, super important, manage the risk to minimize any impacts, right? Things are going to change. People are going to be dealing with a new system and a new platform, but you want to minimize any risks associated with that and try to make that transition as smooth as possible.

Absolutely. And have fun while you’re doing it.

There you go.

Because these are big projects. You’re going to have folks working for over a year.

Yes. Lots of pizza, lots of cookies.

Absolutely. And just have fun with it. It’s a nice team-building approach.