With clear messaging, CUs can guide members toward what they need.
By Sundeep Kapur
I still cringe about how my financial institution handled the Target card breach. My first card was cancelled, a new card suddenly showed up, and every time I called to ask for information, I was told something new and different! My financial institution could (and should) have explained the breach to me on one of my visits to its website.
What credit unions tell members via their websites is very important. More than 75 percent of online banking users visit their CU’s website more than a few times a month. CUs should take steps to highlight important news, make it easy to find information, and also serve up “relevant” advertising.
For efficiency and for effective communication, CUs need to organize and present information well not only via their websites, but across all channels. They also have to be careful not to barrage members with sales offers all the time, or members will simply stop paying attention to their messaging.
If you want to do a better job of coordinating your member communications, start with a member survey – do you know how often your members interact with you, what channels they leverage, and why they visit your branch?
Our members are in need of financial services and we are not the only provider. Collect some good data on your members and think about what messages they need and how to communicate them. Only then, will credit unions successfully guide members toward what they need.
Sundeep Kapur, digital strategies, Allied Solutions LLC, Plano, Texas, is an industry-recognized expert who has delivered keynotes, run panels, and delivered "relevant, inspirational, and outstanding" education for organizations around the world. He teaches yoga, cooking, and is a frequent speaker at financial services conferences.
Kapur will speak at the Oct. 7 CUES Carolinas Council meeting in Columbia, S.C. CUES Councils are local, grassroots organizations. Find out about the CUES Council near you.
Kapur also will speak at CEO/Executive Team Network, slated for Nov. 2-5 in Amelia Island, Fla.
