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Client Description

Bank, Commercial loan processing division
 
Business Problem/Opportunity
To look at them you'd never imagine their computer systems hailed from the dark ages or - even worse - that some of the employees processed their paperwork with a typewriter! But that was the situation when Catwalk came through the door of one of the largest privately-held banks. Then there was the fact that data - required for daily, weekly, monthly reports and to process loans - was scattered in several places. Taking two weeks to close the month was the rule rather than the exception.

The lack of computer literacy and an inflexible technology platform added to the chaos. "The bottom line;" notes Angelika Coghlan, "11 different people, each doing the same thing over and over again, totally differently."
 
Catwalk Action

The team met with everyone to learn how they operated, auditing how tasks were done and assessing what tools were needed for each task. From this they were able to:

  • Choose a software program robust enough to do the job with the flexibility to adapt as needs grew;
  • Put together a database to warehouse all of their disparate information;
  • Create two universal forms to meet most users' needs, a year end report form, and a drag-and-drop-report writer for additional, ad hoc reports;
  • Determine all necessary inputs for government reporting and created a system for storage in one place;
  • Create a user-friendly input screen from which everyone could update information and generate standard reports;
  • Automate many of the manual processes into on-line forms;
  • Develop an interactive "help" function so users could get assistance as needed.

 
Outcome
"It's exciting to see the difference this system has made for this company," Angelika says. "Some of these functions used to be done manually on a typewriter each time. Now the routine is automated and everyone has access to the same information, and change is easily accommodated."
 
And then some…
This project shows the importance of not being tied to any particular software platform. The client needs were ultimately best served with software Catwalk hadn't used before. "It was the right solution for the client," Angelika continues. "That's what we look for. We don't try to take software we're comfortable with and "back into" the project. The client's needs always come first."