Information for Everyone: The Power of Data Transformation with AWARE

It is true that a picture is worth a thousand words but data, transformed into meaningful, timely, and portable information, can answer a million questions.

“You can have data without information, but you cannot have information without data” – a profound statement from Daniel Keys Moran, an American computer programmer and science fiction writer.   Within any organization, data is the most precious thing and if treated and guarded properly, will outlast every employee, process and system.

From the onset of the AWARE development, the focus has been on collecting data, and lots of it, without changes to the point of presentment.  Truth is, the data being collected was already there and just needed a ‘home;’ somewhere it would be collected centrally, nurtured and developed to ensure worthwhile contribution to the organization.

For the more technical readers, data transformation is a process by which data is converted from one format or structure to another format or structure.  While doing this, the process may include a wide range of activities such as converting datatypes, cleaning or normalizing the data, removing duplicates, enriching the data, performing aggregations and lastly and maybe one of the most important aspects, providing pictures that say a thousand words and answer a million questions across the enterprise.

In the 1990s, the internet was dubbed the ‘Information Superhighway’, a fitting description given the vast transfer of data across global networks which provided interactive services and audio and video content through a variety of media namely computers, television sets and other types of outlets.  This was definitely a time when a lot of data was shared (and is still being shared today) but most were in unstructured and indecipherable formats and required lots of work for the untrained brain.  

AWARE however, was built to fix this issue within the organization. Data that was previously unstructured and varied will now be presented in a clear, effective and concise manner.  As opposed to the internet’s ‘Information Superhighway’, Alogent views the term "information" in its literal sense because the receiver should not be required to perform additional work to make the data decipherable and utilize it to make quick and sound decisions.  

Below are some examples of how AWARE assists leaders and users in a few key areas of the organization.

• Regional Account Manager
  The AWARE Dashboard provides information on branch performance in terms of total item count, amounts and other activities within the branch network over time (days, weeks, months, years, etc.).  It answers questions like, “Am I meeting my goals?” which is really a measure of the number of new accounts and the mix of accounts that the account holders have in their portfolio.  The more varied the mix for each account holder, the more loyal the account holders will be to the organization.
   
• Branch Manager
  The Branch Operations view of the AWARE Dashboard gives an indication of how efficient each teller is performing in terms of accuracy and speed.  In addition, heat maps provide details on the geographical areas where most of the account holders reside as a means to gauge how well marketing efforts are being implemented.
   
• Teller
  A Bank Teller’s responsibilities include processing transactions, resolving complaints and account discrepancies and answering questions referring to other bank services.  The ‘other bank services’ is the unwritten requirement but has the greatest impact to the organization and the customer base.  What is most impactful to a customer is for the person on the frontline to provide information in addressing a concern. These can range from researching an item that was processed 30-60 days prior to providing a printout of all checks paid against the account for the past 6-months.  This is something that would normally take 4 phone calls and at best a 2-3-day turnaround for the customer.  Today with AWARE, the only thing that stands between the customer getting the output is how fast the information can be entered and the Teller getting the printed copies from the Branch printer.  The result is a happy customer and a Teller who is now more confident in carrying out the job responsibilities.
   
• CEO
  CEOs make decisions almost every minute of their working day and what is more important is that each has varying degrees of impact on the organization and customer-base.  Given this dilemma that they face each day; it is imperative that the information provided is complete and reflects exactly what actual activities are.  I don’t know of an organization leader who wouldn’t rather say ‘as of the last 30 minutes’ instead of ‘as of 6 months ago’.   

AWARE can provide the various pictures that answer a million questions; every employee can be equipped as such, improving productivity and profitability.  One of the main keys to employee empowerment is information sharing but I think that access to information is a close second.  

With AWARE, it is information for everyone! Learn more: for banks and credit unions.