Backbase today announces that Michigan-based Wildfire Credit Union (Wildfire) has selected the Backbase Digital-First Banking platform to drive their digital innovation and unify the member experience across all channels and touchpoints. On the Backbase platform Wildfire can release new features at the speed of digital, reducing their time to market and enabling them to meet the need for personalized banking of all of their members.

With a vision to build life-long relationships with their members and a mission to offer truly personal service, it is critical for Wildfire to optimize the member experience and ensure that each engagement is personal and frictionless. The richness of the out-of-the-box journeys and ready to go apps coupled with the flexibility and agility that the Backbase platform provides were among the key reasons to partner with Backbase. It provides both the speed and the flexibility that Wildfire was looking for to strengthen their services and become an even more integrated part of their member’s daily lives.

Mark Schuiling, Chief Technology Officer at Wildfire Credit Union, says: “Going forward, digital-first is a huge part of our strategy. We partnered with Backbase as a way to expand throughout Michigan and into other states without adding more physical branches, something that’s been on our minds during the pandemic. The Backbase approach stood out to us because of their flexibility and the level of control we will have once our new systems are rolled out. We’re not locked into a relationship with a cookie-cutter system and a big black box that we can’t modify. Now, we are confident we will be able to provide our members with the fast, intuitive, and seamless digital access that we strive to achieve.” 

The Backbase platform gives Wildfire access to cutting edge technology and continuous innovation and enables them to compete with banks and credit unions of any size. Running on a single platform with a unified architecture provides Wildfire with the scalability it needs to cater to both retail and business members, their employees, and for both digital servicing and digital sales.

Jouk Pleiter, CEO of Backbase, says: “Wildfire has a clear vision: create outstanding member engagements across all touchpoints. And they know that having the right technology will be pivotal to achieve this, both now and into their future. Our modular architecture gives Wildfire a chance to operate free of any restrictions that come with legacy infrastructure and allows them to start their digital transformation journey that is core to their growth. This partnership really brings cutting edge technology to community credit union members, and provides tailored solutions for their needs. It underscores the forward-looking marriage between technology and customer service.”