The other day I decided to Skype chat with a friend of mine from college and to make the experience super exciting, I hooked my computer up to my flatscreen.
It was deliciously high tech. Seriously. It felt like I was on Star Trek or something. There I was, talking to someone thousands of miles away. In HD, no less!
It got me thinking. Technology has come so far and is so ingrained in our lives. Things we take for granted today (video chat, Macbook Airs, unlimited cell phone minutes) were completely unheard of decades ago - except for in sci-fi movies!
Technology has done a lot to improve our lives and continues to evolve and grow every day. Here are a few advancements that I think would do the credit union industry a world of good!
(Note: I know that not all of these are economically feasible for every credit union. But a guy can dream, right?)
- Electronic Check Deposit. Not all employers are down with the direct deposit train. I would LOVE to be able to take a photo of a check with my smartphone and have it deposited into my account any time, any day.
- Electronic Signatures. The easiest way to get me to not do something is to say "Please sign this and mail it back." I despise the post office. Whenever I go there are always strange looking people with ill fitting outfits who smell of musk. I don't even know how to purchase stamps. Please do not make me go to the post office. Please. With an electronic signature, the form is filled out through a secure application and no one has to print anything, leave their house or put on pants.
- NFC. Near Field Communication can be used to make your smartphone work like a credit card. In use for years in Japan, with NFC, you just touch and go. From addictictivetips.com:
You basically put the back of an NFC-enabled device against either the back of another NFC-enabled device or an NFC-supported card, and the device automatically recognizes it, showing a prompt on screen to read or write information to the device – it really is that simple.
That's my Christmas wish list! Does your credit union currently have any in place? Do you have your own wants? You know where to put em!
DeAndre