By Carrie Stapp, Vice President of Integrated Marketing and Commercialization for CO-OP Financial Services
In celebration of National Customer Service Week, we would like to recognize all our CO-OP employees who work with our client credit unions to deliver the exceptional service our members deserve. This week also presents an opportunity to look at how member service has changed recently in the wake of the global pandemic.
While the pandemic has led to many financial challenges for members, it has also accelerated their use of digital and mobile channels to manage their finances. To meet member expectations today, credit unions need to combine efficient self-service support resources with the right mix of agents, tellers, and representatives to provide the highly personalized, high-touch experiences members have come to expect.
Experiences = Service
Ultimately, delivering superior service requires a holistic approach to the overall member experience your credit union provides. Consider, for example, what happens when a member walks into a branch or visits an ATM to transact. What happens when that member uses a credit union mobile app? How easy is it to apply for a car loan? Each of these touchpoints shapes a member’s experience with – and feelings about – your credit union’s service levels.
Remember, too, that members are consumers, and that they compare credit union experiences to interactions they have with other brands outside our industry. What Big Tech firms and other top brands teach them is that great service is about reliability and consistency.
So, as digital and mobile solutions are increasingly front and center with members, it is essential that they are available and reliable and that they seamlessly fit into their daily lives. This means that online and mobile solutions are not in maintenance mode at inopportune times for members. Data should be updated in real time across mobile, digital and in-branch platforms as well. And using your digital and mobile tools should be fast and intuitive for members, which means sites load quickly, are easy to navigate, and deliver all the functionality members need.
Regardless of which channel members choose, it is important not to keep them waiting. If a member calls an airline, there is an expectation (unfortunately) of a long wait time. When members call a credit union, they want to know that they will be on hold for a very limited time period, if at all, and that their needs will be met immediately by a friendly, knowledgeable agent.
Extending Your Service Delivery Team
Achieving the service levels members require can be difficult for credit unions due to personnel and resource constraints. Partnering with CO-OP Contact Center can help.
CO-OP Contact Center is equipped with the personnel and technology needed to provide members with world-class service experiences whenever they call. With more than 400 employees, CO-OP Contact Center operates 24/7, handling nearly half a million live phone calls and 400,000+ interactive voice response (IVR) calls each month, while also underwriting around 12,000 loans monthly.
CO-OP Contact Center agents are trained to provide natural, unscripted, personalized interactions that reflect a credit union’s own unique policies, protocols, and brand. Our card services interactive voice response (IVR) service is scalable, compliant, flexible and secured with layers of advanced fraud detection technology.
A Trusted Partner
More than just a voice on the line, CO-OP Contact Center is a trusted partner to your credit union. And our agents are there to handle anything members need – from simple balance inquiries to complex loan applications. CO-OP agents also routinely assist members with the digital and mobile tools they have embraced, for example, helping them load payment cards into digital wallets or setting them up with card controls and alerts through the CardNav® by CO-OP mobile app. They also enable digital issuance of credit and debit cards for members and aid with disputes and chargebacks.
To ensure exceptional service, CO-OP agents continuously advance their skills through our workforce management and training programs. Because we are actively integrating our infrastructure with additional core systems and digital banking providers, CO-OP Contact Center will be able to serve even more of our client credit unions going forward.
Celebrating Service All Year
National Customer Service Week is an annual reminder of the vital role our service personnel and resources play in member relationships. However, it is important to remember that members need service 24/7, 365 days a year. Make sure you are delivering positive experiences at every turn, and members will reward your credit union with their affinity and loyalty – and by making you their primary financial relationship for years to come.
The original article When It Comes to Member Service, Every Experience Counts can be found on Insight Vault.
