Posted by Christopher Stevenson
Oh, for crying out loud, how complicated does a cup of coffee need to be? I stopped by Starbucks on the way to work this morning (a rare occurrence), and got myself a $3.85 cappuccino ($3.85 is the reason it's a rarity). Although I still feel stupid saying it, I now order a "venti" rather than a "large" because that's the way it's done in Starbucks. OK, fine. I can deal with that. No big deal. I understand they've established their own culture and ordering system and will roll with it. But today they went too far.
Me: "Venti cappuccino, please."
Barista: "Yes, sir. Venti cappuccino. Will that be wet or dry?"
Me: "Huh?"
Barista: "Wet or dry, sir?"
Me: "Huh?"
And so on.
Turns out that the barista was asking about my preference for the balance between foam and milk, i.e. "wet" means more milk and "dry" means more foam. Tell me, is that really necessary? They've already infiltrated the globe with Starbucks-speak, a language not offered at my high school (we only had Spanish and German to choose from). Do they have to add new required phrases to order one of the simplest drinks on the menu? Considering the amount of coffee I drink on any given day, I'm just glad "Excuse me, where's the restroom?" can still be asked in English.
So what? What does this have to do with CUs? It's all about the language and knowing your audience.
All too often, we get caught up in our day-to-day work and forget that not everyone understands credit-union-speak and financial jargon, or that folks may not be familiar with the other players in the financial services field. For example, I was speaking with an economist, a really smart guy who's in tune with the global economic conditions. We were discussing economies of scale and scope (or he was discussing and I was listening, trying to understand what he was saying), and I asked him how niche players like ING Direct fell into the model he was describing. Although he had heard of ING, he didn't know what made it unique. Since I watch ING Direct pretty closely, I just assumed he'd know what I was talking about. I was wrong.
Nevertheless, just like the Starbucks customers who love the lingo ("I'll have a grande, one-third decaf, triple shot, sugar-free vanilla, hazelnut double pump, soy, light-whipped cream, extra hot white chocolate mocha"), there are people who enjoy the sophistication of financial services and frown upon their oversimplification. If you're going to keep those people as members, you'd better be able to address their questions in a way that appeals to them.
Bottom line is this, know your individual members and make no assumptions. It's simple advice, but it's really hard to implement. Even still, give it a try.
