Sallie Mae 2000 Annual Report Download - page 11

Technology Leads to Improved Service
If companies are to thrive in the 21st century,
technology will play a pivotal role. Since 1972, innovation
has been a cornerstone upon which Sallie Mae has met the
needs of its customers. To ensure future success, we must
maintain, sustain and grow our business. We need to
anticipate the changing desires of our school customers and
provide solutions that help them serve students and parents
in the most efficient and effective manner possible. This
means a continual investment in and application of
technology in new systems, products and processes.
In 2000, Sallie Mae made substantial progress
on this front. We expanded our capacity to better serve
customers with Laureate®, Sallie Mae’s online student loan
delivery system. Since its official launch, Laureate has
revolutionized the student loan application, approval and
disbursement processes on more than 200 college and univer-
sity campuses, processing in excess of $1 billion in loan vol-
ume. Sallie Mae added several new features to this system
in 2000, increasing the loan types it accommodates,
expanding its reporting and reconciliation flexibility,
and meeting the next generation of school and borrower
application, guarantee and disbursement needs.
Our portfolio of services was further enhanced
with the purchase of USA Group. This important transaction
included the addition of NetWizardTM, USA Group’s Internet-
based loan delivery system. Looking ahead, our challenge is
to develop and migrate to a future loan delivery platform:
a system that combines the best features of NetWizard and
Laureate. The blending of these two products with the
most advanced technology ultimately will establish a new
performance standard in the student loan industry. In the
interim, as we work toward this ambitious goal, our valued
customers will retain the service relationships and product
sets on which they depend.
As in 2000, Sallie Mae will spend 2001 seeking
innovative answers to issues confronting borrowers, schools,
lenders and guarantors. No matter what challenges emerge,
we remain dedicated to the mission that has guided Sallie
Mae for nearly 30 years: to make education accessible and
affordable for all Americans at all times of their lives.
Working together, we will continue to lead the way in
opening the doors of opportunity for every student.
MEETING CUSTOMER NEEDS THROUGH INNOVATION
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