Credit union front and back-office staff members have plenty ofdifferences. They spend their days doing different tasks, may comefrom different backgrounds, approach their work in different waysand are likely to exhibit different personalities. But in order fora CU to succeed, it's crucial that both sides get along.

Communication takes place on a daily basis between front andback offices, with staff members sharing critical information suchas policies and procedures, marketing campaigns and member issues,noted Jennifer Roberts, the director of product management forHarland Financial Solutions, a Lake Mary, Fla.-based provider oftechnology for financial institutions.

The Northglenn, Colo.-based, $67 million Horizons North CreditUnion operates out of just one branch and handles accounting,finance, IT and human resources (which also completes marketingtasks) from its back office, senior vice president and chieffinancial officer Diane Tracy said. CU front offices, on the otherhand, consist of staff that interacts directly with members, suchas tellers and loan officers.

“You really can't have one without the other, as both depend oneach other for support,” Roberts said. “They share the samepolicies and procedures so the back office can effectively supportthe front line.”

So when can poor communication pose problems for CUs, and howcan communication be improved? Roberts and Tracy shared the mostcommon issues and their best tips for effective communication.

Lack of timely communication flow. Information may not travelfrom the back office to the front office, or vice versa, in atimely manner, which can prevent staff from effectively respondingto members' needs, Roberts said. “As is common in any business,lack of communication can be an issue,” she said. Tracy added thatin a recent employee satisfaction survey, lack of communication wasone of the most consistent comments.

A small staff. “Being short staffed can pose challenges, as notonly will the credit union be ill-equipped to return phone calls tomembers, but it also could impact the timeliness of the sharing ofinformation between the front office and back office,” Robertssaid.

Employee errors. Front- and back-office staff members havevarying skill levels, and a lack of knowledge can lead to errors.“If a new teller posts a deposit to the wrong member account, theback-office staff is then faced with having to deal with thaterror,” Roberts said.

Inaccurate or a lack of details. When a front officeinaccurately records information about a member issue, the membermay be forced to retell the same story if he or she is transferredto the back office to solve the issue, which can lead to decreasedmember satisfaction, Roberts said.

Here are some tips on how to improve communication:

• Filter information through front- and back-officestaff in a timely manner.

• Be consistent with everyone communicating the sameinformation to members.

• Train your employees to reduce errors.

• Implement accurate contact history tracking.

• Use an effective core system to automate andstreamline business processes.

• Meet regularly to discuss ongoing projects.

• Encourage staff to hold accounts at the CU.

• Choose communication methods that work.

• Remind back-office staff that they're providingservice.