Heritage Bank Scraps DOS-Based System

Beset by operational difficulties with an old DOS-based PC teller system, officials at Heritage Bank of St. Joseph (Mo.) were determined to provide tellers with the best and most technologically advanced system available.

The solution was a 32-bit Windows-based teller system from National Source One, a Kansas City, Mo.-based consortium of systems integrators providing teller software, ID systems and official check applications to community banks. One of NSO's systems integrators, Kansas City-based Financial Systems & Equipment, performed the rollout to the $150 million community bank.

The objective was to make tellers more productive. "We needed a system that would allow us to be competitive in today's market, and one that would not require a huge learning curve for our associates," said Billy Cole, president and CEO of Heritage Bank of St. Joseph.

The PC-based NSO system provides Heritage Bank tellers with immediate access to and retrieval of customer information.

The system features a flat panel touch screen that equips tellers with an easy-to-understand, simple-to-use application.The functionality of the touch screen has increased productivity, Cole noted. "With customer retention being a priority of all banks today, we needed to have a system that was reliable 100 percent of the time and provided accurate and timely information. Our old system could not."

He added, "We need to be able to execute transactions in a smooth and expedient manner. Our previous teller system was hindering those efforts."

Tellers can intuitively navigate through the system, which minimizes training time and allows them to easily access and transact customer information. Other features include savings bond redemption calculators and an interface to signature verification applications.