By Brynn Ammon, President, Credit Union Solutions, Jack Henry & Associates
We live in an era of immediate gratification. The world’s digital giants—Amazon, Netflix, Uber—have trained us to expect instant results. We want our ride, our movie, and our next product recommendations now.
When members log into your mobile app, they aren’t comparing their experience to your competition; they are comparing you to the last app they opened.
They’re comparing you to the seamless one-click reordering on Amazon. They’re comparing you to the hyper-personalized “Because you watched…” recommendations on Netflix. They’re comparing you to the real-time tracking transparency of Uber.
For decades, credit unions have won on service. The “people-helping-people” philosophy created a distinct competitive advantage. But today, we’re witnessing a fundamental shift in how consumers are “trained” to consume value. The digital giants have taught your members that service isn’t just a friendly smile; service is anticipation, speed, and integration.
It’s understandable then that credit union leaders look at technology solutions as a feature race – buying disparate solutions aimed at fixing immediate pain points. But there is ultimately danger in reacting solely to the “right now.”
Focusing entirely on the features you can deploy today can inadvertently lock you into a corner tomorrow. The most critical decision a credit union can make right now isn’t about what app to buy; it is about a mindset of future-readiness. We cannot predict what the “Netflix of 2030” will look like, but we can choose partners who are building the infrastructure to handle it.
From Vendor to Architect
For decades, the industry operated on a “What you see is what you get” model. You bought a core system and an online banking platform and lived within their limitations.
However, the consumer market is moving too fast for that model to survive. The features your members will demand in three years likely haven’t even been invented yet. If your technology strategy is based on a checklist of existing features, you are already behind.
The necessary mindset shift is moving from buying products to investing in platforms.
A product solves a specific problem today. A platform (and the right partner) solves the problems of what is coming around the next corner.
We need to stop asking, “Does this software do X?” and start asking, “Does this partner have the architecture and innovative temperament to let us build whatever we want down the road?”
The Reality Gap: Planning for the Horizon
Let’s be honest: most credit unions are not ready to deploy hyper-personalized, AI-driven, real-time ecosystems tomorrow. We have legacy data to clean, internal processes to modernize, and budgets to balance.
And that is okay. You don’t need to be Amazon today. But you do need to ensure you are setting a foundation that allows you to succeed tomorrow.
The risk isn’t that you lack a specific feature today. The risk is choosing a partner who views their work as a one-time transaction rather than an ongoing evolution. In a market that moves this fast, a static system becomes a liability almost immediately. You should view technology not as a box to be bought, but as a living capability. You need a partner culturally committed to innovation, who understands constant adaptation is the only way to keep pace with your members.
So, how do you plan for a future you can’t fully see? You can look for partners who share a philosophy of openness. As you evaluate your strategic relationships, you should be looking for three key indicators that a partner is building for tomorrow:
- They Build Rails, Not Just Trains: A shortsighted partner builds a train—a rigid vehicle that goes to one specific destination. A future-focused partner builds the rails. They create an open architecture that allows you to run different types of vehicles (applications) on it. They understand that they might not build the best investment program or the best financial wellness tool, so they build the infrastructure that allows you to plug in the best one available.
- They Offer Radical Optionality: The future model is multiple choice, not take it or leave it. A true partner supports the full “Build, Buy, or Integrate” spectrum.
- Buy: You can use their off-the-shelf solutions when you need speed and standardization.
- Integrate: You can plug in a third-party fintech when you need a niche solution.
- Build: You can develop your own custom interface on top of their core when you need unique differentiation.
Regardless of which lever you pull, you need a partner who provides the reliable bedrock beneath all three, ensuring you are never locked into a strategy that no longer serves you.
- They Are Obsessed with “What’s Next?”: When you sit down with your technology partners, what are they talking about? Are they only selling what works today? Or are they discussing the roadmap for five years from now? You want a partner who is proactively re-architecting their foundation to handle faster payments, heavier data loads, and smarter AI—even before you are ready to use them.
The Long Game
The “Amazon Effect” is real, but the answer isn’t to panic and patch together a Frankenstein collection of trendy apps.
The answer is to take a breath and look at the foundation. The most thought-provoking thing a credit union leader can do today is to pause and evaluate the philosophy of their partners.
Are we building a closed room, or are we building a doorway?
We might not step through that doorway today. We might not have the resources to fully leverage an open ecosystem this year. But by aligning with partners who are building that open future, we ensure that when our members demand the next big shift, we won’t have to tear down the house to give it to them. We’ll just open the door.