Member communication success guide

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?

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