In the 24.05 release, we finally completed the introduction of a new search engine, used currently by both the Member Inquiry tool and Xpress Teller. This new engine, which went through several iterations since it was first introduced in 2021, was intended to solve some long-standing weaknesses of our current global search and to give us more flexibility for adding new search options in the future.
Based on early feedback, we believe we finally have a winner! Here’s how the new search feature looks in Member Inquiry:
Read some FAQs about the new search engine
What’s next?
Our next project is to move forward with replacing the existing search in Phone Operator, Global Search, and elsewhere with this new engine.
Status as of October 2024: Project #54581, which adds the new search to Phone Operator, is scheduled for the 24.10 release. Project #54580, which replaces the existing Global Search feature (used in many places), is currently in development.
After that, we’ll start considering other features we might be able to add to the “other” advanced search feature, such as:
- Search by street address
- Include closed accounts/memberships
- Search by card # for closed cards
- Search by VIN# (remember you can already do this via Tool #224)
- Checkbox for including joint owners in the search or not
- Search by last 4 only of SSN/TIN
- Search by date of birth
Status as of October 2024: Still in the early design phase.
Your chef for this recipe: Dawn Moore
FAQs about the New Search Engine
Why would you use the Advanced Search feature in the new search engine?
How is the data gathered for the new search engine that’s used by Member Inquiry and Xpress Teller?
I was wanting to submit a complaint. I understand this is a project you have been working on but it surprises me that you would not ask the people that use the product before you do an enhancement. I do not understand why you change phone operator. It is my opinion that employees tend to like phone operator or inquiry and definitely typically have a preference for one over the other. Why would anyone that preferred phone operator want it to look like inquiry. This is very frustrating and I never cared for Inquiry. It makes no sense. In my opinion, this has negatively impacted my day to day work. I work collections and to have to look people up on the new version is time consuming and difficult. If I wanted to look someone up by something other than their account #/name/or SSN, then I would go to Inquiry. I liked having the two options and now they look the same and I can hardly tell which one I am in.
I know my little complaint probably won’t get far but I am hoping that many other people will complain and you will strongly consider changing it back. Enhancements are to make things better but this has completely impacted me negatively.
Thanks for the feedback, Cindy, I’m sorry this has caused you frustration. This was one of the compromises we needed to make to develop our new search engine, which has been in place like this in regular Member Inquiry for a few years now. We are just now starting to add it into other places in CU*BASE, starting with Phone Op. This engine is far more robust as the “other search” feature allows you enter many things (like a phone number, a driver’s license number, even a email address or online banking username, and many other things) to find a member. However, if you want to search for a SSN you do need to enter all 9 digits (we mask the results list so you only see the last four). Since this search engine looks at many numeric fields, entering only 4 digits resulted in way too many hits for it to be useful. So you’ll need to enter all 9 digits to search by SSN/TIN going forward. We are of course open to ideas for adding new functionality to the new search engine going forward, but will not be putting the old one back.
Just a side note, Member Inquiry and Phone Operator are purposely intended for very different audiences, with Phone Operator intended to be much more locked down based on its ability to post transactions and adjust member information. Member Inquiry is intended for all other research purposes and should be the product used by anyone outside of the call center or member service function.
By the way, something else to consider. I know that many CUs are moving towards new techniques for verifying identity that do not rely on SSN, since that is a very sensitive piece of private information. Even the last 4 digits are used for so many things these days, it’s not a very secure technique and I personally get very squeamish when someone asks me for that. As an example, our new MemberPass® feature can be used for authenticating members using their mobile device. Just a thought in case that’s something that might help!