Developer’s Help Desk: Owner’s Voice and Owner’s View

CU*Answers is, at its core, a cooperative organization.  We are constantly communicating what it means to be a transparent CUSO.  As a cooperative, CU*Answers needs your input to move in the right direction.  The collective input from our owners allows CU*Answers to shape our future together!

Owner’s Voice

Discussion and voting within Owner’s Voice allows every owner to contribute to the process of guiding the priorities for the products and services offered at CU*Answers and our cuasterisk.com partners.  Learn more about whey we’re doing this, how to participate and much more about collaboration at CU*Answers – click here to visit Owner’s Voice!

Owner’s View

Owner’s View allows you to monitor the investments of your CUSO.  Search and filter your credit union’s projects, track them from start to finish, or leave notes and reminders on where a project currently stands for yourself and fellow credit union employees.  Click here to visit Owner’s View and learn more!


Developer’s Help Desk: I Want to Integrate with a Third Party Vendor, What Do I Need to Do?

Integration processes and techniques continue to grow rapidly.  Depending upon the level of 3rd party integration desired, they may include utilizing an existing API for which CU*Answers has previously developed, or entail a true custom development effort as part of our custom project suite.  Common examples of 3rd party integrations include:

  • A new Loan Origination Systems (LOS) provider.
  • DEX/Data Warehousing projects, for transferring pre-configured files to external warehouses.
  • Single Sign On (SSO) projects, for helping eliminate the requirement for member authentication multiple times.

What do I need to do to get started on a Third Party Integration?

  1. Contact the Developer’s Help Desk by ordering this service – we will assist in reviewing your project with you and create a Special Project Request/Authorization form for getting started.
  2. Your project Request will be presented to our Project Team.
  3. Depending on the project goals and scope, the Project Team will review and deliver (as applicable) a research/design quote for you to initially determine how we may best proceed.

Click the button below to get started!

Visit the Store


Developer’s Help Desk: I Want to Talk to Someone About My Idea, What Do I Need to Prepare?

Have a great idea but unsure how you should engage with CU*Answers to determine what project expertise may be available to you?  Not a problem – that’s exactly what the Developer’s Help Desk team is here for!  The DHD team can assist you with rounding out your project vision, designing techniques and managing your project as based on your terms.

Simply reach out to the Developer’s Help Desk and provide us with some overview details of what you’d like to achieve with your project.  Maybe you want to integrate a new third party vendor for a specific product or toolset that appeals to your credit union?  Or perhaps you’re looking to build your own solution outside of CU*Answers’ standard offerings and require resources and expertise to bring your idea to fruition?  Whatever your project goals are, the DHD team will review your initial thoughts and help determine a strategy for getting started!

Visit the store today to submit your idea and start a conversation with the Developer’s Help Desk team!

Visit the Store


What is a Project Specification? Why Do I Need One? How Do I Write One?

If you have a project vision and are ready to take a next potential step, you’ll want to outline and write a project specification to articulate the desired scope of your project, as well as objectives and goals.  The Developer’s Help Desk can help your write and project specification to secure a project bid.

We encourage you to develop and submit as many details regarding your desired custom project as possible.  The more information you can provide about the specifics of your project, the smoother the process of writing a specification will be.  To begin the process, visit the online store.

Visit the Store

After receiving your request, a DHD team member will contact you to review your project initiatives and discuss your idea.  We will detail our processes for helping to make your software vision a reality and will answer any additional questions you might have.  For additional details or to gain a better understanding of the key components to writing a specification, please refer to our Tips for Writing Specs document.


Is This a Project for Developer’s Help Desk?

CU*Answers empowers credit unions to strengthen the credit union movement by working together to enhance the tools we all utilize every day.  Enhancements to CU*BASE normally fall under two primary criteria: improvements to existing functionality and custom development projects.  Have you ever wondered what the differences are?

Our credit unions have amazing ideas on how to enhance the tools credit unions staff members like yourselves use every day!  Making such a change could affect everyone in the CU*Answers family – some changes save you time, others drive your business.  The CU*Answers Idea Form process is a means that allows you to make a case for what you need.  The Idea Form process is like a suggestion box: it’s a method to ask for an enhancement, a new feature, maybe a new report.  Find out more about the Idea Forms Here.

Sometimes an enhancement to an existing feature is not what you need to meet the operational needs of your credit unions or your members’ expectations.  In this case, you need a strategy for developing custom software with CU*Answers.  This is where the Developer’s Help Desk  (DHD) comes in.  DHD is uniquely positioned to help you envision your case, develop a strategy and help bring your plan to life.  DHD Consultants stand at the ready to assist credit union executives and managers of all experience levels in navigating  the 6 major development phases of custom projects: Think it, Write it, Fund it, Build it, Launch it, Support it.  DHD makes getting started with a custom programming project easy!

DHD features many off the shelf products ready to deploy or activate for your credit union.  These products typically represent a newer project that has been completed for a peer; these types of solutions are easily modified for other CU*BASE clients to benefit, and in most cases, are offered at a lower price point.  Check out the DHD online store to see what others have been up to!


CU*Answers releases DHD 3rd quarter project volumes

CU*Answers announced its Developer’s Help Desk (DHD) the volume of custom requests being submitted and projects being completed remain high. During for the third fiscal quarter of 2020, 67 custom projects were fully completed, which represented over 3,300 programming hours. 87 custom project requests were submitted for the period, and increased the total custom requests received total to 390 for the fiscal year. These custom requests were submitted by 70 different CU*BASE processing clients.

Scott Page, DHD business manager, said the DHD is intended to provide an innovative strategy for how CU*Answers works with clients and vendors for developing new software initiatives. Clients are encouraged to be the project designer and contract CU*Answers for professional services only as desired within the overall project scope.

To learn more about the Developer’s Help Desk, visit them at their website.


Developer’s Help Desk e-Alert: Check Out Our Latest Project!

The Developer’s Help Desk (DHD) team is regularly incorporating new third party vendor integrations to CU*BASE.  To help keep our clients updated, we are delivering this e-alert to announce a previous vendor integration, which can be ordered through our online store.

  • LoanPay Xpress – LoanPay Xpress delivers an all-in-one, multi-channel, mobile optimized platform for loan payment acceptance.  LoanPay Xpress provides borrowers of all types with a quick and easy method for making their loan payments from any outside FI checking/savings account or credit/debit card.  Several benefits include reduced paper check handling, decreased in-bound call volumes, and automating your credit union’s back-end ACH payment posting.  CU*Answers has developed a daily file upload process to Magic Wrighter including various member loan and credit card information, in order to facilitate CU*BASE clients being able to offer this solution.

If you would like additional information, or have questions regarding this integration, please contact the DHD team by clicking here.


Developer’s Help Desk e-Alert: Check Out Our Latest Project!

The Developer’s Help Desk (DHD) team is regularly incorporating new third party vendor integrations to CU*BASE.  To help keep our clients updated, we are delivering this e-alert to announce a previous vendor integration, which can be ordered through our online store.

  • LoanPay Xpress – LoanPay Xpress delivers an all-in-one, multi-channel, mobile optimized platform for loan payment acceptance.  LoanPay Xpress provides borrowers of all types with a quick and easy method for making their loan payments from any outside FI checking/savings account or credit/debit card.  Several benefits include reduced paper check handling, decreased in-bound call volumes, and automating your credit union’s back-end ACH payment posting.  CU*Answers has developed a daily file upload process to Magic Wrighter including various member loan and credit card information, in order to facilitate CU*BASE clients being able to offer this solution.

If you would like additional information, or have questions regarding this integration, please contact the DHD team by clicking here.


Developer’s Help Desk Team – Project Life Cycle

The Developer’s Help Desk (DHD) represents a new and exciting vision for how client software development projects are handled at CU*Answers!  DHD is uniquely targeted to facilitate the process by which clients design, build and manage custom projects in a new, innovative way.

The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) documents the rules and procedures for approving, tracking and communicating the status of software development as it moves through the CU*Answers production “factory” – from initial request all the way through final implementation for clients.

For an in-depth look at the Software Development Life Cycle, refer to the PDF booklet located here.  Or, for information on getting started with a Custom Project, click here to visit the Developer’s Help Desk website.


Developer’s Help Desk Team – The Power of the API

The Developer’s Help Desk (DHD) represents a new and exciting vision for how client software development projects are handled at CU*Answers!  DHD is uniquely targeted to facilitate the process by which clients design, build and manage custom projects in a new, innovative way.

API development represents an important process to continually enhancing our flexibility in proving data via a streamlined, secure manner.  This applies not only to the tools we develop but provides a gateway to allow others to develop products that connect and integrate into the CU*Answers product suite.

This process is important for a variety of reasons – for instance, once an API is developed, it may be used by other third party applications, CU*BASE, It’s Me 247 Online Banking, loan applications and additional access points in the future.  Learn more about API by viewing the video below!

View the Video


Developer’s Help Desk Team – Meet Kim Claflin

The Developer’s Help Desk (DHD) represents a new and exciting vision for how client software development projects are handled at CU*Answers!  DHD is uniquely targeted to facilitate the process by which clients design, build and manage custom projects in a new, innovative way.

Account Executive Kim Claflin brings experience from both the programming and project management worlds to assist with projects across various platforms in CU*BASE, as well as other integration points.

Kim and the DHD team are ready to work closely with you to make your vision a reality!  Visit the Developer’s Help Desk website to learn more!


Developer’s Help Desk hits three-year mark

CU*Answers announced that its Developer’s Help Desk celebrated its third anniversary since its formation in 2017. During its first three years, the DHD received 1,605 custom project requests, and completed 726 projects, which encompassed over 30,000 programming hours. The volume of custom software projects completed in year three as compared to year one increased by 42% and the number of applied programming hours increased by 70%.

Scott Page, Developer’s Help Desk Business Manager, said: “It’s exciting to see the continued growth in client and vendor custom software project requests, programming development and completed projects moved into production. Today, the DHD business brand is considerably more established, and the volume of custom project orders being placed through our DHD website and online store is steadily growing. Looking ahead, we believe the number of clients seeking to engage with the DHD team to help fulfill their vision to develop desired new software solutions will only continue to grow.”

To learn more about the Developer’s Help Desk, visit them at their website.