ATLANTA -- Delta Community Credit Union is taking its brand to the branches and members are enjoying the new experience.

Featuring prominently in the rebranding design process is the creation of a more open, retail-oriented environment and the phasing out of the traditional teller line.

"We are trying to migrate from a just transactional culture to a service and loyalty culture and we felt the dialogue banking encourages more member interaction and providing one-on-one service would help accomplish this," said Delta Community CU President/CEO Rick Foley.

The credit union worked with local strategic consulting and facilities development firm Level5 to make the concept a reality in its Fayetteville branch. According to Level5 President/CEO Joe Kassler, dialogue banking is a great way for Delta Community CU to distinguish itself from the competition by better connecting with members.

"Their brand really led the design for the branches and the dialogue delivery permits a more interactive relationship or interplay with the member," said Kassler. "Members and employees are more engaged and the main focus is to not leave the member unattended so it becomes a total personal service experience that keeps members coming back."

The concept behind dialogue banking is to break away from the barriers typically found in traditional teller lines. Members stand side-by-side with financial services representatives and work together on their transactions providing a greater sense of privacy while creating a personal touch not commonly associated with financial institutions.

The branch's open platform further reinforces an environment that fosters more personal relationships from a concierge and financial consultants who "walk the floor" and are cross-trained to help members experience "one-stop shopping," to coin counters and even a coffee bar. The new retail/service focus requires more than just a fresh design, but also rethinking of everything from hiring to how everyday business is handled.

"Employees were a little apprehensive at first because it was so different," said Foley. "For the new branch we looked for friendly outgoing individuals who would be comfortable stepping away from behind the counter. We then cross trained them to be able to do everything from teller transactions to lending and they tell us that they now love the variety in their days." As for members, Foley says once they got over the initial shock of no teller line the overall feedback has been positive. The strategic plan also calls for building Delta Community CU's community presence one branch at a time so a total of 15 branches based on the service culture model are slated to be opened in the metro Atlanta area by the middle of 2008.

The rebranding effort has not only appealed to members, the Fayetteville branch prototype has recently earned an award for innovative design.

The full-service branch won in the category of "Commercial under 10,000 square feet" at the 2006 Georgia American Society of Interior Designers Design Excellence Awards.

The Georgia Chapter of ASID is the sixth largest chapter in the country and is known for high-caliber projects. This year's competition had a record number of entries. [email protected]