Online banking and electronic customer interactions continue their enormous rise in importance for community financial institutions – but somebody’s got to be in charge of making it all run smoothly. What’s more, somebody’s got to keep the product offerings fresh for customers in a competitive market. Different institutions handle these challenges in their own way, but at HarborOne Credit Union, those tasks fall to Sherrie Vallie. Formerly an eBanking manager, she was just promoted to an officer-level position, reflecting the growing importance of all things electronic – including ATMs, phone and internet banking.

Sherrie Vallie

Title: eBanking Officer, HarborOne Credit Union; Brockton

Age: 57

Experience: 26 Years

So you were basically in charge of the same areas before, only as a manager?

Yes, the position evolved to this new title. … it started with the ATMs and [evolved] as the eBanking and electronic channels have evolved.

How long have you been with HarborOne?

I’ve been with HarborOne since 1984 and I started as a part-time teller in the branch.

The “started as a teller” story is a well-trod path for a lot of higher-level bankers, I’ve noticed.

Absolutely. It’s a wonderful experience. I spent a lot of time in the branches working up through assistant branch manager. And then I made the jump over to operations when a position opened up dealing with software and interfacing with the different applications – something that caught my eye.

So did you start fresh out of college, then?

No, the children were born, we had just moved here, so we needed the extra income and I was looking for a part-time job because I was the stay-at-home person. … It was a part-time gig, and as the children grew, I grew with the credit union.

Are you more involved with daily operations and emergencies, or do you just handle big-picture strategy?

A little bit of all of the above. As the eBanking officer, I’m on the ground floor of a lot of new projects and the implementation, [including] … ongoing projects such as the ATM installations. I would work with the various vendors, coordinating those efforts. And then I do provide support for all these channels – problem-solving, troubleshooting.

What big project are you on right now?

Recently we launched a new online product directed at businesses, our Business Online Banking, which offers more features than just personal [banking]; it’s geared to the business where they can do invoicing and things of that nature.

It encompasses a lot of features and it’s customizable to your customers; you don’t have to have them all, you can choose to stick with more of a basic account information service, or you can take that further into payroll processing or invoicing customers.

What drew you to this type of work?

It’s my nature. I just kind of like being behind the scenes, seeing how things work, and it satisfies the creative side to me. Because you take something as basic as an application or an instruction book or a class and then, in the end, you’re able to present this product, such as our Business Online Banking, to the customers.

I never really thought of it as a creative position. So you learn a bit about a potential product and then put a package together?

Yep, I’m given the application and the training from the vendor, and then I start poking away at it to make sure it’s working the way HarborOne wants to offer it. I’m looking at options and talking to other management – ‘Do we want to offer this?’

Do you manage any employees directly?

I’m kind of a department by myself. … But I also work very closely with all the other managers here because they ultimately take these products and work with them.

Does it take a vast amount of technical know-how?

I think you have to be open to some of the technical features so that you understand how it works and what it’s capable of doing, so you don’t just make requests that are unreasonable.

Looking ahead – do you think your type of job is going to be more and more common at the officer and executive level in banks and credit unions as time goes on?

I would think my job, or a position like this, is going to be very common – we’re in an age of personal technology … you have to embrace it.

Top 5 Fun Facts About ATMs:

• Each unit can cost upwards of $40,000.
• HarborOne has 29 ATMs, between branches and remote locations.
• Locations are chosen based on estimates of member traffic.
• The most heavily-frequented ATM is its Cary Hill location, put there after an employee’s suggestion.
• Placing an ATM requires coordinating between various vendors, utilities personnel and others.