an open architecture that will allow us to choose our own vendors and interface with them easily'.
The greatest impact of the conversion was the increase in efficiency throughout the bank. The bank is now able to easily export general ledger and bank account activity directly intoMicrosoft Excel, which has made the reconciliation process more efficient. Additionally, the open architecture of the Phoenix System allowed it to easily interface other applications to post general ledger and bank account transactions with little to no user intervention. Extraction of raw data directly from the core has also improved dramatically. It is very easy to extract fields for ad hoc reporting quickly, according to Garretson.
In the future, the bank would like to capitalise on these efficiencies. It would also like 'to continue to push Harland to further develop their product.We want it to stay cutting-edge.We want it to be ahead of the pack.'
Interestingly, the Phoenix System's small customer base was seen as an advantage by Garretson's team. 'We are a progressive bank in terms of business lines and technology.We invest in infrastructure and systems to increase efficiency and better serve our customers.We like being a big fish in a small pond.We are a flagship bank for Harland.We can push Harland and Harland can push us to be better,' explained Garretson.
