One of the gifts of traveling for work is the opportunity to see service in action across North America in a range of sectors delivered through a host of channels. Many credit unions are looking to advance their omnichannel strategy in 2018 and beyond. Filene Research Institute’s research on the “Future of Member Facing Technologies” demonstrates that credit unions “recognize the benefits of technology and some are fast adopters of it,” but “seven in 10 credit unions find keeping up with technology to be challenging.” While technology is only one part of the member engagement challenge, it isn’t all of it. According to SDL, “90% of customers expect consistent interactions across channels.” Expectations are risking. According to Zendesk, “87% of customers think brands need to put more effort into providing a seamless experience.”

Seeing the Challenge in Action

The hotel chain that I am loyal to has been working very hard at its omnichannel experience. Its mobile app is becoming increasingly useful, not just for booking stays, reviewing reservations, and finding receipts, but also, depending on the property, even unlocking the door. Often, it is possible to check in remotely, use the app to get into my room, check out remotely and literally never speak to anyone at the front desk.

It is also clear that it is training its team members to focus on high levels of service and engagement. This was absolutely true while checking in last month. I was prompted to check in the night before and had done so. The app let me select my room and I did that as well. I was not given the option to use a digital key, so when I arrived, I headed to the front desk, where three team members were standing. It appeared that one was training.

When entering a business, I find it interesting to have multiple options for who will greet and help me. It says a lot about the culture of service if the team members let you decide or welcome you graciously. In this instance with three individuals at the desk, I clearly looked confused about where to head. The woman very warmly said, “Please, let me help you. I’m lucky to steal you today.” It was fun and endearing. She asked me about my trip and if I had used their digital key before. I asked, “Yes, do you have that option?” She shared that they weren’t outfitted for it yet, but would be soon. She was enthusiastic about the company and the efforts they were making. She quickly gave me my key, invited me to have a glass of wine at their “happy hour” and directed me to my room. It was a very good experience.

When I got to my room, I ordered room service and the person who took my order was gracious and kind with my crazy requests for “extra vegetables and ketchup.” The person who brought my order asked me about my stay and was very welcoming. The gym was open 24 hours, so I was able to get in early for my run in the morning. It was meeting and exceeding my needs at nearly every turn both online and offline. I was feeling great about my loyalty to this chain.

After I finished my run, I was excited to get cleaned up and head to do some strategy work with a credit union. But when I pulled the shower curtain back, the tub was gross – there were signs of mold and a pink ring around the drain! My stomach churned. I didn’t have time to switch rooms. I took the fastest shower I knew how to take and moved on with my day. I thought about stopping to say something to the team, but worried about the hassles of switching or even leaving my things in the room after having complained. The next morning, I wondered if maybe the shower would be cleaner. Would the ring be gone? Sadly no.

The Ultimate Omnichannel Challenge

Your credit union has individuals who provide exceptional service. You have great electronic services. Your physical locations represent your brand well. However, does it all come together seamlessly? Do you have a pink ring that derails all of those carefully designed efforts?

Your pink ring could be:

An additional form that a member just doesn’t have time to fill out;
Lack of clarity and transparency through longer processes like mortgage applications;
Difficult-to-find or cluttered and unfocused information on your website homepage; or
A member starting a conversation in a digital channel only to be asked to call because you can’t conduct that type of transaction via chat/online.

In order to win loyalty, improve ease of use and ultimately grow relationships, we have to find our pink rings and bleach them. As you head into 2018, follow these five steps to ensure the drain is clean and your members are happy and engaged:

1. Conduct an effort audit. What are the top three most arduous experiences your members endure today? It might be problem resolution. It might be the home loan process. It might be the membership process. Using listening posts, identify their most challenging experiences and prioritize making them better.

2. Identify the experiences that members really prefer to do on their own and those where they want your support, guidance and help. Filene’s “Channel Delivery for Tomorrow” research demonstrates that members “show strong preferences for branches for activities like opening an account, applying for a loan and seeking financial advice. These activities are complex and often emotionally fraught.” Conversely, there are things many members will be happy to do themselves; especially if you make it easy. Gather member feedback to understand what those are, and make those processes simple and allow self-service. Once that’s ready, shout it from the rooftops!

3. Journey map. Determine the top three most important positive experiences you want your members to have. It might be the mortgage loan experience, the new member experience, the auto loan experience, the card fraud experience or problem resolution. Prioritize the top three and begin with the most important. Map the current state and the desired future state. The gap between the two helps you focus and execute.

4. Beware of hand-offs. Filene’s report, “Member Effort Benchmarking: Measuring Ease of Use,” showed that transitions between web applications and human processing, along with other handoffs, can negatively impact member experience. Analyze your hand-off moments and monitor to see if they are working or if improvements need to be made.

5. Ask your subject matter experts. Your team members know where the pink rings are! They might be hesitant to share them. We as human beings are afraid of change; even positive change can be daunting. Be sure your team knows they can make a difference by identifying the pink rings and celebrate when they do so they’ll continue to bring pain points forward.

According to “Exploring Ongoing Member Loyalty: Net Promoter in Credit Unions,” credit unions enjoy higher levels of member loyalty than the best-performing banks. The industry does excel at providing strong member experiences. In this omnichannel world, continuing to iteratively improve the experience in new ways will ensure that you have no pink rings, and that your members continue to promote the credit union and tell the story of what a difference you make in their lives. And ultimately, those deeper and growing relationships will lead to a bright future for your credit union and your members.

Tansley Stearns is Chief Impact Officer for Filene Research Institute. She can be reached at 608-661-3753 or tansleys@filene.org.

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Bleach the Pink Ring: 5 Steps Toward Stronger Member Engagement in 2018

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