By Tami Aschwege, Solutions Engineer, Suntell
Over the past 21 years, I’ve gone from working behind a teller’s window to helping financial institutions across the country modernize their lending process. This series brings together the insights and strategies I’ve gained along the way.
When I walked into my first day as a part-time teller at a bank in South Dakota, I never imagined that two decades later I would be helping financial institutions across the country implement Suntell’s Square 1 Credit Suite, the same commercial lending software I once used myself. But that is exactly where this journey has taken me, and it is a path I would not trade for anything.
Learning Banking from the Ground Up
Working in a community bank meant wearing many hats. Over the years, I moved from teller to new accounts, into the loan department, and eventually touched nearly every area of the bank. I learned the ins and outs of loan processing, document tracking, and customer service not from a manual, but by rolling up my sleeves and doing the work.
Back then, our “systems” were Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, and a lot of manual processes. I still remember the day my bank decided to implement Suntell’s Square 1 Credit Suite. I was part of the team tasked with moving from the old way of doing things into a more efficient, centralized loan management system. It was a big change, but it made my job easier almost immediately.
Experiencing Suntell as a User
As a user, I saw firsthand how much time we saved by having everything in one platform. Instead of entering the same customer information into three different programs, we entered it once and it flowed through our credit analysis, loan presentation, and document tracking. It was more than just new banking software. It was a complete workflow transformation.
I also saw something else that made a lasting impression: exceptional customer support. I will never forget calling with a question while our trainer was on maternity leave—and still receiving the guidance I needed to resolve the issue. That kind of dedication is rare in the world of banking technology and it stuck with me.
Taking the Leap
Several years later, after some changes at the bank, I spotted a job posting from Suntell. I applied, and soon found myself on Suntell’s implementation and customer support team.
For more than a decade, I have been helping community banks and credit unions transition from manual, disconnected processes into a streamlined, all-in-one commercial lending solution.
Stepping into a New Role
Recently, I transitioned into the role of Solutions Engineer. This role serves as a bridge between our sales team and our customers. My job is to make sure what the customer needs matches what the Square 1 Credit Suite can deliver, and to demonstrate exactly how it will work for their institution. It is about understanding their pain points because I have lived them myself and then showing how our loan management system can solve them.
When the sales process is complete, I often get to carry that relationship into the implementation phase, making the transition even smoother for the customer.
Why This Matters
In the banking world, trust is everything. Financial institutions want to work with someone who understands both the technology and the realities of day-to-day operations. I have sat on their side of the desk, juggling loan closings, compliance deadlines, and customer expectations. That perspective allows me to guide them with empathy and expertise.
Looking back, I never could have guessed that my time as a teller would lead me here. But each role taught me something that I now use to help banks and credit unions succeed with Suntell’s Square 1 Credit Suite.
Those early experiences shaped how I approach technology in banking today. In my next post, I’ll tackle one of the first myths I had to unlearn: that advanced lending software is only for the big players.
