BLKB becomes a data-driven bank with the right strategy
Learn more
Banking
We’re helping three+one to scale its business, drive efficiencies, and add value for clients by optimising digital products and legacy systems.
three+one helps the US public sector and higher education institutions to manage and maximise the value of their cash.
Its liquidity analysis tool, cashVest, gives clients invaluable insights into where they can earn more interest, reduce costs, and gain efficiencies.
But there was a clear opportunity to evolve the tool to drive operational efficiencies and deliver more value to clients.
Client reports were not available electronically, for example, and clients and staff had to exchange information via phone or email as there was no customer portal.
What’s more, three+one staff had to manually input data into the backend system to run the analysis, and then invest hours per month creating each client’s PDF report.
three+one was therefore looking to drive better client and business outcomes. It believed that the development of a client portal that enabled electronic reporting was the best place to start.
Impressed from the outset by our approach, three+one chose us from a pool of potential partners to be their design and engineering partner.
From our first conversation, through to the Discovery phase and beyond, our focus was on the need to uncover the problem and solve it with the right solution. We knew that driving the best outcomes would require more than simply building something we were instructed to build.
With this approach, the project scope evolved from designing and building a portal, to defining and delivering a programme of continuous improvement designed to:
Our technical architects observed and documented how three+one handled the input, processing, and display of data. The exercise showed that overcoming technical debt in the backend analytics engine was a business imperative, and would be key to optimising the cashVest product. In parallel to developing the frontend, our team adopted a new backend system, cashMax, to replace and retire three+one’s legacy system.
We ran extensive client interviews to replace our assumptions with evidence and identify precisely what clients needed. We were then able to create a prototype that met these specific needs. This was validated using continuous testing with clients.
Iterative delivery was key to making sure that our product met the needs of its users. Crucially, it ensured that the most valuable functionality was delivered first. Our team combined user insights, the feasibility of new functionality, and feedback from our testing to prioritise the MVP backlog. Continuous user testing throughout the product lifecycle validated the design, usability, and value delivery to three+one and its clients.
We coached and upskilled the three+one team, helping them to center solutions around user needs, hone their prioritisation and product ownership skills, and establish a culture of testing and agile delivery.
The improvements we’re making to three+one’s technical architecture, data strategy, and digital products are helping the business to achieve business growth, scalability, operational efficiencies, and added value for clients.
Here are some of the highlights:
“Zühlke challenges us to think differently, to create better digital products, to be a better business. Their invaluable work & ongoing support is helping us to scale & mature as a business.” “Zühlke challenges us to think differently, to create better digital products, to be a better business. Their invaluable work & ongoing support is helping us to scale & mature as a business.”