A Search for Better Support That Prioritized Communication and Accountability

Vicki Jackson has spent 35 years at First National Bank of Livingston, beginning her career on the switchboard and eventually becoming Vice President and Information Security Officer. Over the years, she has overseen business continuity, incident response, electronic banking, and technology risk. When it came time to reevaluate the bank’s core relationship, she brought decades of institutional knowledge to the decision.

The bank had worked with their current core since the early 1980s. Over time, support cases have taken longer than expected to resolve or required additional follow‑up, highlighting opportunities to streamline issue resolution and strengthen customer satisfaction. There was potential to enhance the overall experience by improving service quality.

“That became very frustrating,” Jackson says.

First National Bank of Livingston formed a core review team and began exploring options. A full core conversion was not appealing. Training demands, operational disruption, and risk all weighed heavily. When the team learned through a peer bank that Navanta (formerly UFS) could support their existing core, it became a compelling alternative. For many community banks balancing risk, cost, and staffing limitations, finding a way to improve service without rebuilding every internal process resonates deeply — and Jackson’s team was no exception.

A Well-Managed Migration That Rebuilt Trust

After months of due diligence, the bank migrated its core to Navanta in September. While no implementation is without challenges, Jackson says the experience was positive overall. The migration team and onsite staff were responsive and communicative. When issues could not be resolved immediately, the bank was kept informed and given workarounds, which helped reduce stress during the transition.

Post-migration, the ongoing one-on-one support and timely response stood out as meaningful benefits. Jackson recalls an incident where a single message requesting help with an issue resulted in a resolution by the next morning — a noticeable shift from past experiences. A colleague later summed up the team’s reaction succinctly.

Like many community banks, First National Bank of Livingston knew how quickly long delays and unresolved tickets can wear down a team. For Jackson and her staff, the Navanta partnership restored confidence by improving responsiveness and communication — reducing day-to-day friction
and reinforcing that issues would be addressed promptly and fully.