For United Credit Union in Missouri, outsourcing management of its ATMs was initially a tough decision for executives. But now that the credit union is working with Dolphin Debit, they’re glad they made the switch.

United CU, which serves 16 counties in middle and northeastern Missouri, recently partnered with Dolphin Debit, the full-service ATM management company, to handle its fleet of 10 – soon to be 11 – ATMs.

Heather DeMint, Vice President of Operations, said the credit union spent a long time on the decision to outsource.

“We owned and operated our own ATMs for nearly 25 years,” DeMint said. “Deciding to have someone else do what we had done ourselves for so long was a difficult decision.”

It was the issue of compliance, combined with several aging machines, that convinced United CU that Dolphin was the better option. The Windows 10 update was the most pressing compliance issue, but DeMint pointed to the advantage of “fewer headaches” in terms of ongoing maintenance and day-to-day operations as a factor in the decision as well.

Dolphin Debit installed 10 new ATMs for United CU, and will soon provide an 11th ATM when the credit union launches its mobile branch. The mobile unit will be used heavily in testing markets, visits to SEG locations, and at special local events, DeMint said.

“The customer service we have received so far has been top-notch,” DeMint said, adding that if United CU does decide to further increase the size of its ATM fleet, “It will definitely be with Dolphin Debit.”

“It’s often a combination of aging machines and an impending large update, such as the Windows 10 changeover, that pushes credit unions into a decision to outsource,” said Gary Walston, CEO of Dolphin Debit. “Even those credit unions, like United, that have always operated their own ATMs.”