In it for the long haul: TAB failed hard and fast--and came out stronger.

• Author: Kinder, Peri
• Position: Lessons Learned - Transportation Alliance Bank

When customers with Transportation Alliance Bank (TAB) tried to access their accounts in late February 2012, they ran into a snag. Transactions weren't posting and they weren't able to draw on their money markets. Because TAB'S clients are people in the transportation industry, including long-haul truckers, being without funds quickly became a serious issue.

Irate phone calls started pouring into the bank's headquarters in Utah.

Just a few days earlier, TAB had moved off its proprietary computer system, which had operated all the banking needs for its customers since 1998, and transitioned to a standard core banking program. When the bank's platform went live with the new vendor, some of its third-party providers ran into problems, leaving customers with no access to funds.

To add to the confusion, TAB has no physical locations or branches anywhere in the country, and as concerned customers called in, the phone lines were strained beyond capacity, taking more than eight times the normal volume of calls.

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Regaining Control

"That was really the crux of the whole issue--the inability to communicate with our customers," says Burton May, COO of TAB. "The frustration on their side, and ours, was that our communications network was stretched to the point that we couldn't get to our people as quickly as we wanted."

TAB'S customers work in remote areas and rely heavily on phone communication, even more than online servicing. When they couldn't reach a representative from TAB in a reasonable amount of time (wait times were up to 30 minutes during the crisis), people got upset, which only added to the problem.

"We took some hits in the trucking audiences as there were individuals that lashed out at us any way that they could. We understood their frustration as they were not able to do what they normally do, but we also realized that the vocal minority did not speak for all our customers," May says. "We saw as many brand advocates come to our aid in the public forums, noting all the good we provide the underserviced trucking companies and their drivers."

Once customers were able to speak with TAB representatives, the problems were addressed and corrected quickly. But during the three weeks following the transition, it was all hands on deck for TAB employees, who worked extra shifts and weekends to get things back to normal.

Many of the bank's 250 employees operated around the clock, stopping only for sleep, in order to get the...