Netop helps First Interstate Bank lower support costs and reallocate resources
THE CHALLENGE
The technical staff at First Interstate Bank had grown accustomed to traveling. To support branches, handle day-to-day maintenance, help end users and troubleshoot issues, they moved from one location to another.
When your region straddles the Bighorn Range of the Rocky Mountains, however, getting from branch to branch takes more than simply driving up the street. The trip from Billings to Eureka alone is nine hours. Consequently, the bank was spending considerable resources on branch support: gas and vehicle expenses, per diem allowances, occasional overnight lodging and the salaries of several full-time staff members.
“One of our service representatives incurred more than $25,000 in travel costs in a single year,” said Systems Engineer Laura Kolterman.
More costly, though, was the undeniable inefficiency in the bank’s ability to resolve support requests. A long commute means an equally long response lag. Difficult delays were the result and precious time was lost every day.
THE SOLUTION
First Interstate responds to challenges by looking for ways to innovate. The company’s strategies to improve its bottom line are organized around adding value, improving service or cutting costs. With Netop, it found it could achieve all three.
A pioneer in remote access and control technologies, Netop helped First Interstate reduce its IT travel budget and shorten response times drastically.
“We’re all about providing better customer service and resolving issues as quickly as possible. The last thing we want our support staff doing these days is to have to physically visit a branch,” Kolterman said.
The bank initially used Netop to consolidate its technical operations – including its traveling support staff – to a central office. With nearly 2,500 employees and over 2,000 Microsoft workstations to support, the IT department receives up to 150 requests per day—50 percent of which are now handled remotely using Netop. If an issue can’t be resolved at the first tier, Netop lets staff escalate it to a level where it can be addressed.
Like most financial institutions, First Interstate Bank handles sensitive customer data and must comply with a variety of strict regulations. Using Netop, IT administrators can set granular permissions, restricting staff to security parameters appropriate to their role. Meanwhile, all remote sessions are centrally logged and audit ready.
“I can tell you who accessed which machine, on what date, at what time, for the past several years,” said Kolterman.
THE RESULTS
Since adopting Netop, First Interstate Bank has saved tens of thousands of dollars per year by reducing IT travel. Two full-time equivalent positions were freed up to focus on other work. Faster call resolution times represent additional value gained. And the call volume has dropped, as the help desk can now address four or five issues in one request.
In fact, the solution has proven more valuable than expected. Originally purchased to provide remote support, Netop is now used by other groups within the bank for on-boarding and training as well. Tech support uses it to bring new employees online faster, by helping with the setting up of their desktops, applications, printers and so on. Payroll uses Netop to teach new staff how to use the specialized software they rely on.
“There are several specialized applications that bankers use to originate mortgages, consumer and auto loans. Netop has proven invaluable in helping application experts get staff up to speed on the specific nuances of these proprietary applications,” said Kolterman.
By turning to Netop, First Interstate Bank has cut costs, redistributed resources and gained the freedom to focus on bigger priorities.
“It’s hard to believe that one tool can consolidate resources, help us train staff and support such a vast array of devices. We couldn’t be happier with the solution,” noted Kolterman.