CHARLESTON, W.Va.--Since moving its ATM fleet to Dolphin Debit’s management, Star USA Federal Credit Union says it is enjoying "peace of mind."
Star USA, a 15,000-member credit union based in Charleston, serves members in southern West Virginia as well as large SEGs such as the Veterans Administration. It spent years managing its own ATMs until that management got too burdensome and expensive, explained Jennifer Rutherford, SVP.
“With the size of our credit union, it was difficult to find a vendor that made owning our own ATMs easy and affordable,” Rutherford said. “After we purchased the ATMs, we then had the service agreements, then there would be an upgrade to the software needed. And even with service agreements, so many of the service calls were outside the scope of the agreement that we ended up with additional expense monthly.”
So, Star USA shopped for an ATM management partner who would relieve the burden on both front line and managerial staff and hopefully provide long-term cost savings, the CU said.
Star USA has eight ATMs. Five are located at branches, two in the Hershel "Woody" Williams V.A. Medical Center in Huntington, and one in another SEG’s office building. Since partnering with Dolphin Debit, Rutherford said they’re enjoying “peace of mind,” without having to worry about dealing with software or hardware upgrades on their own.
And the main benefit?
“We don't have to worry about anything. If there are issues with the machines, we call Dolphin, although those issues have been minimal,” Rutherford noted. “It’s funny, the biggest learning curve has been that the ATMs are not ours. If a machine went down in the past we had to worry about the expense involved. Now we know they are Dolphin’s machines and they'll take care of everything.”
In their search, Star USA narrowed their options to three vendors. The decision came down to Dolphin's reputation, cost structure, and transparency, the CU explained.
“We also like the flexibility of setting up our program to either stock the machines ourselves or let Dolphin handle that,” Rutherford added.
“Often credit unions who have been dealing with their own ATM fleets for a long time just can’t appreciate how much easier their lives will be with the right ATM management partner,” said Joe Woods, senior vice president of marketing and partnerships for Dolphin Debit. “The peace of mind they can gain is really a great feeling.”