In 1:1 Interview, VyStar Credit Union Executive Reveals CEO Was on Vacation Amid Online Banking Troubles

JACKSONVILLE, Florida. – With VyStar Credit Union members struggling to get information about their accounts for a week now, News4JAX has learned that the CEO is on vacation.

The credit union’s online banking and mobile banking app were still down about a week after a scheduled outage last Friday. The credit union says everyone’s money and transactions are secure, but customers complain of inconvenience and sometimes inconsistent information.

News4JAX reporter Anne Maxwell spoke one-on-one with VyStar Credit Union Director of Member Experience Joel Swanson on Friday.

A d

UNCUT: Hit the play button below to watch the full interview with VyStar’s Director of Member Experience

Maxwell: “What exactly is wrong with VyStar’s new online and mobile banking platform?”

Swanson“We had a planned conversation last weekend to transition to a new online and mobile banking experience, and the goal was to provide an enhanced member experience for our members. Unfortunately, when it went live , we had unexpected problems.

Maxwell: ” Which problems ? »

Swanson“At first we had performance issues, and that’s the main issue we’ve had, it’s just with performance issues based on real-world experiences.”

Maxwell“Are you sure online banking will be working by, say, next week?”

Swanson“I can’t give you a timeline, but I can tell you that we are working around the clock to get the system in place as quickly as possible and we have made significant progress.”

A d

Maxwell: “By June, perhaps, would it be ready?”

Swanson: “I am convinced that the system will soon be ready for our members.”

Maxwell“A News4JAX insider wrote on our website, can’t access chat, phones have long wait times and no one even mentioned it costs nearly $5 a gallon to get to in a branch just to get a current balance. I mean, people are frustrated.

Swanson“And I apologize, and we take our responsibilities. On behalf of our entire leadership team, I accept responsibility for the issues and inconvenience our members are facing during this time. But we do our best to staff our contact center and branches to provide this service to members. We have back office team members across the company who have gone out and gone to branches and taking calls to try to take calls from members. That said, I understand the frustration with longer wait times.

A d

Maxwell“Where’s the CEO?”

Swanson“The CEO was already on a planned trip to a remote location when these issues occurred. As soon as they occurred, he and our entire VyStar leadership team were in constant communication and have been, and he has made plans and started going back to Jacksonville and is on its way back right now.

Maxwell“Why didn’t he come back immediately to help?”

Swanson: “He was in a remote location and the logistics were difficult, and he immediately put plans in place and is already in transit.”

Maxwell“So he’s been on vacation for a week?” Has he been working there since last Friday?

Swanson“Our CEO was already traveling when this started, and he’s been in constant communication, and as we know in today’s world with remote work, he’s been incredibly involved and engaged the whole time. .”

Maxwell: “Where was he?”

A d

Swanson“I’m not in a position to divulge that.”

Maxwell“When will he be back?

Swanson: “He’s on his way back now.”

Maxwell“In July, software company Nymbus — which has offices in this building, according to its website, because of its collaboration with VyStar — they announced that VyStar had chosen Nymbus as their online banking solution partner and mobile following a $20 million investment by VyStar last April into the new Nymbus credit union services organization, and the website says you are on the Nymbus board of directors?

Swanson: Nod.

Maxwell“Why did VyStar choose Nymbus and have they ever managed to set up a banking system like this?

Swanson“Yes, VyStar selected Nymbus after extensive vetting and evaluation of the technology they bring to market. They have over 25 other customers, including one that is a $50 billion bank and has already put successfully implement solutions like this, but each implementation is unique.

A d

Maxwell“Is it like a totally new system? Has anyone else ever used this exact technology? »

Swanson: “This Nymbus system is used in other banks and credit unions, but the unique implementation we have here has nuances that are not in other implementations.”

Maxwell: “Could it be a scale problem or was there a problem in the code?”

Swanson: “Scale is definitely part of the problem.”

During our stay at VyStar, we had escorts representing the credit union who walked us through the business. We asked to stop at the Nymbus offices, but were refused.

VyStar told us that Nymbus isn’t the only vendor working on this project. We are waiting to hear which others are also involved.

A Nymbus spokesperson told News4JAX that this is a complex, multi-vendor project and that it continues to assess the situation with VyStar and other partners. The spokesperson said Nymbus understands the burden this places on members and is working to get online access up and running as quickly as possible.

A d

In the meantime, VyStar said there are 40-50 people around the clock on the issue and they have 900 people working in customer service.

We also asked VyStar about some specific issues we heard from some News4JAX insiders and viewers regarding transactions not working properly. The credit union has said, again, that its basic systems are accurate. He encourages anyone with specific problems to contact or visit a branch.

Members can also get their balance using Magic*Touch by calling 904-777-6000 or 800-445-6289 and selecting “Option 0”. VyStar notes that members will need their Member ID to use this feature.