The Challenge

The US-based bank faced a recurring challenge in the distribution of VISA card statements and defaulter notices to its extensive member base. These files, provided by the VISA FTP site, were of two types: Monthly credit card statements and defaulter notices, each in PDF format. While the individual file sizes were manageable, the combined size of these files when zipped reached gigabytes. The bank’s existing manual process involved downloading these files on the 1st of every month, unzipping them into a local folder, and subsequently transferring them to a network share. The automation workflow would then pick up these files and distribute them to individual members. However, this manual process often encountered failures during the unzip or file transfer steps, necessitating time-consuming repeats. As a result, nearly 40 man-hours were spent on this process each month.

The Solution

To address this challenge and optimize the distribution of VISA card statements, an automated solution was implemented:

Automated File Fetch and Unzipping: The solution involved automating the retrieval of files and directly unzipping them into the network share. This was achieved by invoking the command-line execution of the 7z utility, eliminating the need for manual intervention.

Workflow Automation: An Alteryx workflow was created and scheduled to run on the 1st of each month. This workflow managed the entire file fetching and unzipping process.

Tracking and Logging: Snowflake, a cloud-based data warehousing platform, was employed to log and track the downloaded and extracted files. This provided transparency into the process and facilitated error detection and resolution.

Error Handling: The program utilized 7z/CMD error codes through CMD Echo commands to verify the successful execution of the process. In case of any errors, notifications were triggered for rerunning the process.

The Result

The implementation of this automated solution yielded significant benefits:

Approximately 40 man-hours were saved each month, reducing the operational burden.

The process became more reliable, eliminating manual errors and the need for repetitive tasks.

Members experienced faster receipt of their VISA card statements, enhancing their overall banking experience.

This client success story illustrates how a US-based bank streamlined the distribution of VISA card statements, significantly reducing manual efforts, improving reliability, and expediting the delivery of essential financial information to its members.

Tools and Platforms Used