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“Staff appreciate having a chance to vet new products first,” says CUES member Nicole Heffelfinger, VP/operations at $900 million/73,000-member IBM Southeast Employees’ Federal Credit Union, Delray Beach, Fla. “But with EMV, it’s wise to develop an implementation plan early, collaborating with marketing, card services, compliance and training.”
For IBM Southeast EFCU, the process covered many months, beginning with the formation of a project team. Heffelfinger also recommends tailoring staff education and training based on position. “For us, training card services employees in the liability shift and EMV technology was much different from member service or teller training.” Her CU also used monthly touch points to keep managers and their departments in the loop on EMV certification and its impact on members; weekly team meetings were held based on relevance or need.
While it’s probably too much for most members, selected staff should have an understanding of the EMV certification process and complexity of aligning merchants, card issuers and partners. “It’s not fluid, nor will it be consistent,” continues Heffelfinger. Some merchants and markets will be chip-enabled right away, others will lag, including some financial institutions and retailers. But if key staff understand the process, they can better articulate to members why not all merchants are chip-enabled.”
Be the Expert
Heffelfinger stresses that members must see the CU as the expert on chip card technology. “Don’t rely on a retailer’s cashier to educate your member. Your member expects and deserves an explanation from you.”
She adds that younger members, drivers of the technology originally, are more likely to learn by using the technology. Older members may be more reliant on online information such as FAQs or newsletter articles. Depending on their learning style, other segments may prefer how-to videos or visuals. The idea is to have a range of tools and channels available to assist members.
Staff Talking Points
Using easy-to-understand wording, Heffelfinger helped prepare these talking points for member-facing staff to use:
Explaining chip technology to members: “The chip cards create a more secure environment for you (the member) to conduct transactions. It’s like a mini-computer in your card. It sends a one-time code to authorize the transaction vs. a magnetic stripe which can be easily replicated.”
Ensuring smooth POS transactions: “You no longer swipe and wait; you insert and wait. The terminal you’re using should tell you what to do.”
With 25 years of marketing and communications experience, Stephanie Schwenn Sebring established and managed the marketing departments for three CUs. As owner of Fab Prose & Professional Writing, her focus is on assisting CUs and industry suppliers with their communications needs.
