Enhancing the Credit Union Staff Experience

No matter how cutting edge your website is or how clever your last marketing campaign was - none of that matters if your staff isn't aware of your credit union’s change of focus or if they haven’t bought into it. After all, they’re the face and voice of your credit union – its mission needs to be their mission as well. Only a well-trained staff can help you create a great member experience at your credit union.

Once your credit union has an updated plan in place – complete with goals and tactics – it’s time to get your staff up to speed. Here are four steps to get you all on the same page:

• Set Training Goals and Objectives – Goals and objectives need to be clearly defined and measurable, as well as communicated clearly to your staff.
• Analyze Training Options – Training can be done internally or you can look for outside expertise to guide you. Determine your training needs and budget before choosing which way to go.
• Design and Develop – If your credit union is going to implement its own training, then effective tools will need to be developed. Look to the management experts in your credit union to guide you. Training materials could include a trainer’s outline and guide, student materials, visual aids and media resources. To keep the staff’s interest, keep it fun and interactive. 
• Evaluate Training and Trainers – Once you've wrapped up your training, whether it was internal or external, you need to measure the results to ensure your goals were met. This could be participant feedback using a survey. Update the materials and actual training based on your results.

If your training includes your lending department, it might be worth your credit union’s while to check out CUNA Mutual Group’s Lender Development Program (LDP). The program is designed to “supercharge” your team and product portfolio’s performance. CUNA Mutual Group based the program on the four cornerstones of success: champion, coach, train and track. They used the best practices of high-achieving credit unions to create the program.

Whichever approach you take to help create a great member experience at your credit union, your members should know the credit union mission is the basis for all you do. And if you keep your member’s needs, interests and goals in mind throughout the process, you’ll end up with members that will be members for life.