After two years of not having our client conference in person, it was so exciting to attend Jack Henry™ Connect 2022 in San Diego this year! Not only did it mark a monumental moment for the company, but it was also special to me on a personal level. I’ve had the privilege of working on our annual client conference (which was previously two separate conferences) since I started working at Jack Henry in January 2020 ... right before COVID-19 changed the world as we knew it. So I had never been able to attend in person until this year!
As we all remember, in-person conferences weren’t really a thing in 2020 – or even much of 2021 for that matter. And Jack Henry was no exception. We made a big pivot in 2020 and started hosting fully virtual conferences. Then in 2021, although we originally planned for a hybrid event, the difficult decision was made to switch to fully virtual again out of an abundance of caution for clients and associates.
Without dwelling too much on the past, the circumstances of the last two years have illustrated what a special year this was bringing everyone back together at Jack Henry Connect 2022. For almost three years, I heard about the memories, amazing content, networking, knowledge-sharing opportunities, and even small details with logistics. Now in 2022, it was “like normal” and in person again. And wow, was it the right year to attend!
Jack Henry Connect 2022 was bigger and better than any of our Jack Henry annual conferences have been before – not just in numbers, but in excitement, energy, and innovation. Just check out the highlight reel: 3,700+ attendees, a newly launched and refreshed brand, our first annual conference where we brought bank and credit union clients together, four keynote speakers, hundreds of sessions and vendors, and of course the LEGO® station – all emphasizing our theme of connecting possibilities. One client even said, “this was the best work conference that I have attended.”
After participating in sessions, conversations, and activities at Jack Henry Connect 2022, there are seven themes that took shape and have remained top of mind for both banks and credit unions post-conference:
1. Connecting Possibilities
I can’t talk about themes without first highlighting the conference theme itself – connecting possibilities. This was woven throughout the entire event from sessions and networking opportunities to fun activities and experiences. Not only could attendees literally connect bricks at the LEGO station and have some fun in Connection Corner, they could also attend the four-part keynote series where one keynote kicked off each day of the conference. And every keynote speaker had a unique, impactful message for the audience to take away.
Chad Littlefield | How to Create Connection Before Content
Chad’s message focused on establishing relationships of trust quickly, no matter the context. Instead of asking people typical questions like “how are you?” and “where are you from?” when you first meet them, the goal is to be more intentional. This includes asking questions like “what is something that amazes you?” or “how would you like to be remembered?” and more that can be found in Chad’s We Connect Cards. The next part is to focus on “we” instead of “me” – aka listening to hear what someone has to say and learn about them vs. listening to respond. Having these types of conversations will ultimately help you build trust, relationships, and possibilities.
Laura Gassner Otting | Live Limitlessly: Ignite Meaning to Connect and Win
The main point I took away from Laura’s session is that your definition of success does not look the same as everyone else’s. It sounds so obvious, right? But it’s true and not something I’ve always consciously recognized. Maybe your parents, grandparents, or teachers had an idea of what “you should be when you grow up” ... but is that what you really wanted? Is that what your life looks like now? In most cases, probably not! Because your definition of success is different from theirs. When you live limitlessly and find your true calling, that’s when you can live up to your own version of success.
Carey Lohrenz | Lessons in Partnership: The Leading Edge to Optimizing Relationships
“Understanding your purpose is going to be the biggest key driver in whether or not you will remain relevant in the marketplace over time.” – Carey Lohrenz
Carey talked about how most high performers who remain relevant in the marketplace over time have three key traits – courage, tenacity, and integrity. But more importantly, there’s a bigger picture of the impact you can make on accountholders and in your communities. Two ways we can impact our communities stood out to me from this session. The first is the idea of your “span of control,” which includes looking at how you can focus on what matters most, how you can set up a good plan for success, and then how to communicate what’s possible (i.e., letting your accountholders know their options). The second is making sure you take time to debrief so you can learn from your experiences and incorporate any lessons learned into execution next time.
Finally, Carey left us with a final challenge that I think doubles as a piece of advice: do one thing every day that scares you.
Scott Stratten | The Age of Disruption: Everything Has Changed and Nothing Is Different
Scott’s message was all about the importance of focusing on people and brand experiences, which really resonated with me because it ties directly back to Jack Henry’s purpose and mission. Scott said, “Everything is about people – how we treat people, how we talk to them, how we deal with them.” And I believe this is true in various contexts. Whether you think about your customers and members, coworkers, employees, or leaders, it all comes back to putting people first. Basically, we’re all humans and should remember to treat each other that way. People want to work for and with organizations where they’ll be respected, and consumers are expecting a good experience every time. A little compassion and understanding can go a long way in meeting that expectation.
2. Improving Operational Efficiencies
It comes as no surprise that our largest conference track was focused on increasing efficiencies. And it’s clear that we all need to reevaluate the way we do business. Speed, convenience, and simplicity are now necessities – not only for your accountholders, but also for your institution. By increasing operational efficiency, you’ll be able to provide the best possible accountholder experience. For more insights, check out our recent blog post highlighting the top 3 takeaways from the increasing efficiencies track at #JHConnect22.
3. Effectively Managing Enterprise Risk
When it comes to protecting your accountholders from security threats and fraudsters and mitigating credit and interest rate risk, there’s a lot of ground to cover. That’s why reducing fraud and risk was such a hot topic at Jack Henry Connect 2022, where we featured multiple sessions focused on key trends and innovations impacting the financial services industry today. All of the best practices and highlights from the reducing risk and fraud track at #JHConnect22 are featured in one of our most recent FinTalk blog posts!
4. Spotlighting the Accountholder Experience
More than 30% of consumers will walk away from a beloved brand after having one bad experience. That’s more than one third of people who expect a smooth, convenient, positive accountholder experience every single time – and institutions have certainly picked up on this from their accountholders.
In addition to accountholder expectations, the competition is fierce – further emphasizing the need for our improving accountholder experience track at #JHConnect22. This track was filled with actionable tips and insights to help you compete in today’s crowded market while providing an exceptional experience for your accountholders that they not only want but need. Check out one of our new FinTalk blog posts to discover more about the top 3 CX wins from #JHConnect2022.
5. Capturing Commercial Accountholders
What insights came out of Jack Henry Connect 2022 that will help you capture and support commercial accountholders? Some of the biggest concepts that stood out to us were shared by the team at Autobooks:
• A major shift in the behavior of business accountholders
• The impacts of financial fragmentation
• Strategies to improve the digital business banking experience
Read our new #JHConnect22 blog post on FinTalk to learn more about the key insights and takeaways on attracting commercial accountholders.
6. Overcoming Revenue Challenges
Given the growing revenue track’s session attendance at Jack Henry Connect 2022, it was clear generating meaningful increases is top of mind for many financial institutions. These sessions focused on the importance of having a modern payments strategy to ensure your institution can effectively navigate today’s challenges and opportunities. For a deeper dive into building a proactive payments strategy, check out our recent blog post that covers the growing revenue track at Jack Henry Connect 2022.
7. Prioritizing the Financial Health Crisis
Based on the Financial Health Network’s latest U.S. Trends Report, financial health has declined for the first time in five years. That’s why Jack Henry is committed to helping reduce the barriers to financial health and why we created an entire track at #JHConnect22 dedicated to it.
The Financial Health Network hosted three workshops during Jack Henry Connect 2022 focused on understanding the needs of the financially coping and vulnerable, best practices for financial health engagement, and building your financial health strategy. In addition to the financial health workshops, we held a Step into Financial Health Challenge where attendees could track and submit how many steps they took during the event. Throughout the week, there were MILLIONS of steps tracked – resulting in Jack Henry donating $10,000 to the Financial Health Network to help them continue their efforts of improving financial health for all! It was amazing to see the representation and emphasis on the importance of financial health throughout the conference.
Read one of our latest blogs on improving financial health from the inside out for more Jack Henry Connect 2022 insights.
These themes from Jack Henry Connect 2022 all relate to the vital challenges and opportunities your institution is facing today. And Jack Henry is here to help you address those challenges and embrace opportunity through people-inspired innovation. Discover how we help.
A big thank you to all our clients, associates, vendors, sponsors, and presenters who made Jack Henry Connect 2022 possible and an overwhelming success! It was wonderful to see everyone while getting to spend quality time together since our last in-person annual conference in 2019. If you couldn’t join us in San Diego or virtually, we hope to see you next year!
Save the Date
Our 2023 Jack Henry Connect conference will take place October 16 – 19 in Indianapolis, IN. Mark your calendar today!
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