Despite the lure of online banking, ensuring apositive branch experience is still one of the best ways to retainexisting members and grow their loyalty. Unfortunately, as manycredit unions have discovered, maintaining a branch overflowingwith employees does not guarantee good customer service.

FMSI's experience helping hundreds of CUs to leverage technologyto optimize staffing levels affords us a diverse database ofknowledge we can analyze to discern activities that positively ornegatively affect service. This lets us pinpoint activities thatmake a quantifiable difference in the branch experience. You canimplement some key processes to achieve higher service levels andmore satisfied account holders.

Use managers to manage, not fix. When memberwait times become long, a quick fix is for branch management orteller supervisors to jump onto the teller line. A more effectiveuse of management (as well as lobby representative) time is toengage in member-facing activities such as greeting, asking andanswering questions, soliciting feedback and generally building abetter rapport with the account holders in line. This helps passthe time and reduces the length of time the members perceive theyhave waited.  Limiting the amount of time managers spendon the teller line also allows them to be better observers andcoaches for their frontline staff.

Plan for idle time. FMSI calls the time whenstaff members are inactive and waiting for members to come in thebranch idle time, or more precisely, excess waiting for work time.These periods are often undermanaged, leaving extremely valuablepersonnel standing around being unproductive.

Tellers are often given the vague direction to work on a numberof nontransaction activities when member traffic is slow ornon-existent. Consider using this time for outbound account holderservice support calls or special projects.  Usingscheduling engines to provide employees with more specificdirection on precisely which nontransaction activities should becompleted during exact times can significantly increaseproductivity during identified idle times. The enhanced forecastingprocess establishes better accountability for tellers and minimizesunproductive time that might exist from current schedulingprocesses.

Conversely, having your staff focusing on the account holdersduring peak transaction times reinforces to members that the creditunion respects their time and appreciates their business. One ofthe most undesirable outcomes of a branch full of staff focusing oncompleting nontransaction activities during the wrong times is thatit can lead to poor service.  Identifying and managing thespecific idle times in your branch leads to better service andincreased productivity.

Optimize schedules. Scheduling efficiently hourby hour for peak staff optimization and member service is achallenge for most credit unions, many of which are working fromoutdated spreadsheets. However, our historical data proves thataccurately forecasting member traffic activity, and schedulingoptimally for peak-period coverage, is entirely possible. Creditunions that achieve this goal generally do so with the help ofbusiness intelligence, gleaned from streamlining the extract ofcore-processor transaction data (one of the most powerful butunderutilized resources available). Optimal scheduling results inbetter service and, as bonuses, more satisfied employees and alower labor cost per staff transaction.

Forecasts may suggest that you increase your utilization ofpart-time staff to help fill the peak transaction periods on yourteller line. Once you know exactly when you need part-time staff infront of the member, you can find the talent to achieve your goals.Students, young parents, older workers and others with schedulingflexibility are frequently willing to work shifts as short as threeto four hours.

Inspire positive outcomes. Even with the rightnumber of employees in your branches at the right times, there willbe unavoidable crunch periods. To help staff stay positive duringthese times, give them the tools they need to show grace underfire. Train staff to remain calm and good-humored under a varietyof conditions. Role-playing exercises, where one or more employeesplay the part of an unhappy member, can be a very helpful teachingaid.

Develop performance incentives that reward staff bothindividually and collectively for providing great service.

Use peer-to-peer comment cards (where co-workers fill out cardsdocumenting great performance that they witnessed in ­other staff),as well as mystery shoppers to provide further insights into whichpersonnel are excelling at member service even during busy periodsand which need further mentoring.

Making these few changes can garner you a wealth of memberservice improvement.

W. Michael Scott is president and CEO of FMSI.
Contact
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