Chrome Federal Credit Union, formerly Washington Community Federal Credit Union, is undergoing a metamorphosis, and when it has emerged from its cocoon by year-end, it expects to be transformed in the way of technology and member experience.

“We really think we are a technology company providing financial services, because we think the world is changing and it is not brick and mortar anymore,” Christopher George, president/CEO, said.

Chrome FCU, which revealed its new name in April 2015 and has 34 employees and two branches, is a $131 million, 11,000-member institution located on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, Pa. that set out to differentiate itself in the market.

“Chrome is simply good banking,” George explained. “To us that means easy-to-use accounts, less fees, more stores and smart people who can't wait to help. We'll also be serving up state-of-the-art online and mobile banking, Chrome Confidence privacy and security assurance, and more.”

George explained that when he arrived at the credit union almost five years ago, it had two branches, drive-thru windows, traditional tellers and ATMs. In addition, it took about 10 minutes to boot up the Windows XP computers, he said.

“The credit union had very limited IT resources, and a very outdated firewall, website and IT system,” he said.

The credit union, which originally concentrated on credit card, general share and checking accounts, began to see a need for change when the steel business – the foundation and origin of the credit union – dried up. Plus, its location in the back of a mill was totally desolate and looked like something from a Mad Max movie, George admitted.

In 2010, the credit union installed fiber networks and new firewalls, updated all its PCs and servers, and created an operations department.

Then the perfect storm occurred. The credit union had plenty of resources and observed all the changes in the industry, and the smartphone emerged as a viable financial tool.

“We flipped the model upside down,” George said. “We feel banking is going digital, and everyone holds a bank in their pocket.”

Using analytics, the credit union calculated that 8,000 out of 11,000 members did not visit its branches. Plus, one thousand of its members had just a $5 share account and cost the credit union $1 a month just to maintain them. That had to change.

They set out to find their typical demographic model, which turned out to be the “soccer mom,” middle-class suburban woman, and then targeted that group using guerilla and word-of-mouth marketing.

Amanda Lunger, vice president and chief brand officer, detailed how the credit union enlisted the help of a Pittsburgh-based brand design agency to produce a challenger brand, and a Cleveland market research company to create four different personas aimed at their targeted market.

“We believe so much in this persona strategy [which represents different levels of financial expertise and involvement] that we gave them names, faces and personalities,” Lunger said.

The credit union also wanted to create a unique online product.

“The digital experience for most banks and credit unions is just plain horrible,” George stated rather bluntly. “Just because something is a single sign-on does not make it a good user experience.”

In order to design a “wow” user experience, the credit union spent a year and a half speaking with about 35 different vendors, looking for those that were willing to share their APIs and assist with custom-building a solution.

“We tried working with our core vendor at the time, but they could not provide what we wanted,” George states. “There is a significant gap between third-party innovation and the cores.”

George credits Wade Arnold of Banno (who is now with the Dallas, Texas-based ProfitStars) for “getting it” and understanding what Chrome FCU aimed to achieve with its mobile and online channels. Arnold, managing director of ProfitStars, founded Banno in 2008 and served as its CEO until its sale to Jack Henry & Associates in March 2014.

Read more: Chrome FCU's online and mobile solutions are intuitive and user-friendly …

“I give kudos to Jack Henry for acquiring Banno because they are very innovative,” George said.

From a philosophy standpoint, George and Arnold wanted to make sure their online/mobile solution was intuitive and simple to use.

“When you think of [Chrome FCU's] graphic designing, it is very heavy on the human elements and feelings of the users' lives, and how they engage with the credit union versus a product matrix that the consumer has to figure out,” Arnold pointed out. “All credit unions should watch this because Chrome FCU gets to the root of the value proposition of credit unions.”

Now, as they prepare for their unveiling, George believes the credit union has succeeded. Chrome FCU's digital, online and mobile banking is a very unique experience, George explained, adding that this would not be possible without an open API from different third-party vendors, George explained.

Among the companies the credit union partnered with for this transformation were Banno (now part of ProfitStars, a Jack Henry company) for online and mobile banking; the Monett, Mo.-based Symitar (also a Jack Henry company), for the core; the Braintree, Mass.-based Geezeo for PFM and the St. Petersburg, Fla.-based PSCU for credit card processing.

Arnold said working with other Jack Henry solutions made the real-time integration across channels easier to achieve.

“In this case, Chrome FCU wanted a more horizontal solution across all brands,” he said.

All of Chrome's technology solutions are outsourced, including a U.S.-based call center. The credit union does not have an IT person; instead, it hired good people to manage its IT partnerships. Basic versions of Chrome FCU's website and mobile app are due out in July, and the unveiling of both fully-enhanced versions will take place by year-end.

The complete website design features a modern retail look and targets Chrome FCU's primary demographic. In the future, it will also market to the Chrome FCU small business brand. The site will include account opening, loan application, store appointment scheduling, and chat/help desk integration.

The new mobile app will include real-time core integration, remote deposit capture, bill pay, store appointment scheduling, a help desk and geolocation integration.

Based on the credit union's research, most Chrome FCU members come to the store once a year, and when they do, they will notice a change there too. The credit union considers its locations stores rather than branches, and they do not include drive-thru ATMs. Chrome FCU also has 30 shared branch locations, and if a member uses a foreign ATM, they'll be reimbursed for fees.

The first of its two flagship stores is expected to open by August 2015, and will be about 5,000 square feet and include a 2,500-square-foot community room. Chrome FCU plans to open a total of eight stores where its target members shop.

“The store is there to host a conversation about financial goals so we can explain how we can make our members' lives easier with our simple products and services,” George said.

In order to better serve its demographic, the credit union created a universal Chrome FCU associate position for people with strong skill sets. The associate can take a loan application, answer app questions and help with personal financial management. They are certified financial counselors and receive thorough training in all aspects of the credit union's products and services. This way, the members need only one point of contact.

As they are more focused on starting conversations than completing transactions, the universal associates do not have offices. They have iPads, and access to universal offices, a transaction bar, video wall and touchscreen. The credit union has also partnered with Starbucks to install a commercial machine that provides complimentary coffee, tea and hot chocolate on demand.

“Our end-game is to be about a half billion dollar institution with 50,000 members,” George said. Neighboring Allegheny County hopes to help the credit union with its expansion, he said.

George concluded the credit union believes mobile will replace branches as the primary banking vehicle in the near future, and when that happens, it will be ready.

Instant Insights /

Chrome FCU Polishes Technology, Member Experience

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