One of the gifts of traveling for work is the opportunity to seeservice in action across North America in a range of sectorsdelivered through a host of channels. Many credit unions arelooking to advance their omnichannel strategy in 2018 and beyond.Filene Research Institute’s research on the “Future of MemberFacing Technologies” demonstrates that credit unions “recognizethe benefits of technology and some are fast adopters of it,” but“seven in 10 credit unions find keeping up with technology to bechallenging.” While technology is only one part of the memberengagement challenge, it isn’t all of it. According to SDL, “90% of customers expect consistent interactions acrosschannels.” Expectations are risking. According to Zendesk, “87% of customers think brands need to put more effortinto providing a seamless experience.”

Seeing the Challenge in Action

The hotel chain that I am loyal to has been working very hard atits omnichannel experience. Its mobile app is becoming increasinglyuseful, not just for booking stays, reviewing reservations, andfinding receipts, but also, depending on the property, evenunlocking the door. Often, it is possible to check in remotely, usethe app to get into my room, check out remotely and literally neverspeak to anyone at the front desk.

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

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

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

After I finished my run, I was excited to get cleaned up andhead to do some strategy work with a credit union. But when Ipulled the shower curtain back, the tub was gross – there weresigns 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 Iknew how to take and moved on with my day. I thought about stoppingto say something to the team, but worried about the hassles ofswitching or even leaving my things in the room after havingcomplained. The next morning, I wondered if maybe the shower wouldbe cleaner. Would the ring be gone? Sadly no.

The Ultimate Omnichannel Challenge

Your credit union has individuals who provide exceptionalservice. You have great electronic services. Your physicallocations represent your brand well. However, does it all cometogether seamlessly? Do you have a pink ring that derails allof those carefully designed efforts?

Your pink ring could be:

• An additional form that a member just doesn’t have time to fillout;
• Lack of clarity and transparency through longer processes likemortgage applications;
• Difficult-to-find or cluttered and unfocused information onyour website homepage; or
• A member starting a conversation in a digital channel only tobe asked to call because you can’t conduct that type of transactionvia chat/online.

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

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

2. Identify the experiences that members really preferto do on their own and those where they want your support, guidanceand help. Filene’s “ChannelDelivery for Tomorrow” research demonstrates that members “showstrong preferences for branches for activities like opening anaccount, applying for a loan and seeking financial advice. Theseactivities 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 tounderstand what those are, and make those processes simple andallow self-service. Once that’s ready, shout it from therooftops!

3. Journey map. Determine the top three mostimportant positive experiences you want your members to have. Itmight be the mortgage loan experience, the new member experience,the auto loan experience, the card fraud experience or problemresolution. Prioritize the top three and begin with the mostimportant. Map the current state and the desired future state. Thegap between the two helps you focus and execute.

4. Beware of hand-offs. Filene’s report,“Member Effort Benchmarking: Measuring Ease of Use,” showedthat 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 areworking or if improvements need to be made.

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

According to “Exploring OngoingMember Loyalty: Net Promoter in Credit Unions,” credit unionsenjoy higher levels of member loyalty than the best-performingbanks. The industry does excel at providing strong memberexperiences. In this omnichannel world, continuing to iterativelyimprove the experience in new ways will ensure that you have nopink rings, and that your members continue to promote the creditunion and tell the story of what a difference you make in theirlives. And ultimately, those deeper and growing relationships willlead to a bright future for your credit union and your members.

Tansley Stearns is Chief Impact Officerfor Filene Research Institute. She can be reachedat 608-661-3753 or [email protected].