Transform Member Engagement by Reshaping the Employee Experience

The past year has demonstrated the resilience of credit union employees, from adjusting to work-from-home environments to learning new automation systems and even taking on new roles to assist where needed. Outside of the office, these same employees had to learn how to navigate the “new normal,” making adjustments in their personal lives and caring for the well-being of their families.

However, despite the challenges that the last year presented, employees continued to serve their members in difficult times and quickly conquered the transition to remote work. In fact, according to research conducted by PwC, 83% of employers say the shift to remote work has been successful for their company, and more than half of executives said that average employee productivity has improved. Employees worked hard, and it shows. They overcame numerous obstacles this past year, but that doesn’t mean it was easy. So, what can be done to empower and enable those employees to succeed in the next–especially now when new challenges of employee retention, staffing and training continue to mount.

In an industry where much thought, time and resources go into improving the member experience, credit union employees rarely see an equal level of resources dedicated to their own experience. What if we shifted the paradigm to explore the possibilities for extraordinary member service and experience by starting from within? If true happiness comes from within, then why can it not be the same for the workplace?

Often, employees are not provided with easy-to-use, streamlined technology. The select applications on an employee desktop tend to not work well together, creating a pattern of re-keying of data and navigating between complex systems. To make matters worse, these applications are often not user-friendly or easily accessible, which only intensified as employees were removed from the office in the past year, so they could no longer easily and quickly turn to managers or peers to ask for help. However, with solutions that can help bridge the gap between separate applications and quick access to information, employees can be well-equipped to efficiently and accurately complete tasks.

By not taking employee enablement into account, credit unions risk contributing to unproductivity as well as unsatisfactory member service and experience, and this happens too often. Simply put, if an employee does not have quick access to the most up-to-date and necessary information, the member may be left on hold or given the “runaround,” which increases handle times and contributes to a less than ideal MX. In the race toward digital transformation, many employees get left behind. However, this does not have to be the norm.

Employee knowledge management technology revolutionizes the employee experience. With quick access to the information they need, employees not only can meet member needs but surpass them.

Employee Knowledge Management

Just like members, employees need simple, rapid answers. By consolidating all policies, procedures and product information into a single platform, employees can more easily and efficiently access centralized knowledge that will help them make better decisions that improve both employee confidence and the MX.

For example, if employees can easily access their institution’s policy on opening new business accounts, they will feel more confident when discussing finances with a new small-business owner. They will ask the right questions at the right time to potentially expand that relationship. When prompted by a member request or need, employees can easily find, follow and manage answers, applications or procedures to best inform or educate the existing member or prospect.

In addition, by providing access to all applications on an employee desktop—such as Microsoft 365, Teams, Slack and a contact center solution—employees are enabled to finish their work without being slowed down by disparate systems. Through this, employees can keep information consistent across teams, departments and branches.

Employee Enablement 

Employees feel confident when they have access to an employee portal that transforms how knowledge is accessed, creating a more proactive and efficient experience overall. Embedded into tools that staff use daily, being able to more independently source information to serve members no matter the channel is a game-changer for most credit union employees.

Another way to further optimize this is by allowing employees to provide feedback within the knowledge base, encouraging employees to showcase their knowledge and experience easily. This also gives staff an opportunity to be a part of the knowledge optimization process, determining whether a piece of information is helpful or not.

Rather than spending an hour to track down the answer to a complex member inquiry or stepping away from your own work to respond to other employees’ questions, enhancements to employee self-service tools enable employees to provide a more consistent member experience. Ultimately, knowledgeable staff and fast service and support create a better MX and retention rate.

For instance, common core transactions can be made easily accessible to employees through self-service enhancements. If an employee can access checking account information in seconds rather than minutes, members will be able to get resolution faster, reducing time spent on each inquiry and improving the member interaction. By implementing this technology, credit unions can give employees easy access to information, removing the barriers that stand between them and exceptional member service.

The Last Word

It is a great time to be a credit union employee. With greater attention being placed on their experience, as well as their account holders’, employees are soon to be the beneficiaries of many advancements in employee experience. In today’s digital world, employees must be fast and consistent, and employee knowledge management allows them to do just that. By leveraging intelligent employee knowledge management, credit unions can support their employees and, in turn, delight members with information that is accurate and easy to find.

Sidra Berman is chief marketing officer of Engageware (formerly TimeTrade SilverCloud), the provider of industry-leading technology and expert know-how to help organizations better engage their customers. Trusted by more than 500 organizations, Engageware’s self-service, appointment scheduling, and knowledge management solutions—combined and integrated with our market-leading partners—make it easy for customers to answer their questions quickly, connect to the right resource when scheduled expertise is needed, and get a consistent, efficient experience when help from a representative is required. Having done 20 years of B2B marketing, Berman has extensive experience identifying, analyzing and building technology solutions that address the needs of today’s organizations.