By Mark Arnold
Too many times the more we move up the credit union ladder, the farther away we get from our actual members. That is not necessarily a good thing.
In fact, there are several benefits to having executives occasionally work the front lines. While I was senior vice president at $300 million Neighborhood Credit Union, Dallas, we made sure our senior team visited the branches regularly. And a branch visit did not mean the cursory “fly-by.” You were actually required to spend the entire day in the lobby visiting and helping both members and staff. Neighborhood CU executives still make sure they are regularly visible on the front lines.
“It’s important to understand what is going on in the trenches,” says Carolyn Jordan, SVP/retail operations. “We may have this idea in our offices of what is going on, but that may not actually be the case.” Jordan points out three advantages of working the front line: provides feedback, communicates approachability to the members and makes staff feel good about the credit union.
“At our level, some things are filtered,” Jordan notes. “But when you are talking directly to members, they don’t filter their comments through a survey or through staff.”
Today, both Jordan and CUES member Chet Kimmell, Neighborhood CU’s CEO, frequently visit branches. It is more of an informal process, with Kimmell going to branches weekly. When Jordan is in a branch she makes a point to not be in an office. She is either right at the teller line (in their case, teller pods) or in an open area where she can dialogue with members.
“Members love to see the senior folks,” Jordan says. “It communicates that we are approachable and truly care about the member.”
Here are some questions you can use in your own branches as conversation starters that also provide keen insight on your credit union:
- Why are you a member of our credit union?
- What words describe our credit union?
- What can we do better to serve you and earn more of your business?
“We can sit up here in our offices and do processes and not realize what is going on in the trenches,” Jordan adds. She points to a recent example of when the credit union launched instant issue debit cards. “We created this whole process that wasn’t user friendly to staff. I had no idea until I went down into the trenches.”
Down in the trenches—it’s a place credit union executives tend to avoid. But spending occasional time down in those trenches can yield incredible insights into your credit union.
Mark Arnold, CCUE, is a speaker, brand expert and strategic planner. He is also president of On the Mark Strategies, a consulting firm offering strategic planning, brand planning, leadership/management training, marketing planning and staff training. Check out his blog!
