Does Your Member Service Suck? 6 Tips to Ensure it Doesn’t

In the credit union movement, we hang our hat on service. We’ve done so for over one hundred years in the U.S. It’s one of our signature traits, helping differentiate us within the financial services industry. Ultimately, it the reason we exist: Not for profit, not for charity, but for service.

But can I be honest with you?

I’ve seen my fair share of really poor credit union member service.  And I’m not talking isolated examples here and there. I’m talking about entire credit unions that are completely clueless about how their staff routinely serve and engage their membership. This is a problem that is permeating credit unions, regardless of asset size and field of membership.

And yes, I am aware that we continue to surpass our bank counterparts in consumer satisfaction surveys. But is comparing ourselves against the banking industry what we’re  really after? People hate banks. Of course consumers should be “more satisfied” with us.

The goal is not to be “less hated”. The goal is to deliver on the promises you make to your membership.

Following are a few tips to help ensure your member service doesn’t suck:

1. Create internal service standards— Model, internally, what you expect externally. If your employees don’t return colleague phone calls and emails in a timely manner, do you really think they will with your membership?

2. Define service for your employees– Don’t assume your employees understand what good service should look like. Here’s a quick test for you: hand out a 3X5 card and have your staff write down their definition of service on it. How many different definitions did you receive? If you have a lot, that’s a big problem.

We’ve all heard the saying, “What doesn’t get measured, doesn’t get done”. But let’s take it one step further: what doesn’t get defined, can’t get measured…and as a result, doesn’t get done.

3. Don’t believe your surveys— It’s a bad idea to just take your members word for it. A lot of your members might not define service the way you want them to. They might rank an employee as “excellent” because he/she spent 15 minutes talking with them during their last visit. A visit that took place during your busiest time of day while a handful of impatient members waited to be helped.

4. Build a sequence— Without a series of “steps” in place, it can be easy to forget to do even little things like thank a member and use their name. Create a short, sequential step by step approach for engaging members in all areas you meet them. In the branch, on the phone, during new membership enrollment, etc.

5. Create a service signature—Your signature is something that is uniquely yours. Think of a service signature like you think of your brand. Your brand has unique colors, words, a logo, etc. Now imagine transferring this concept of “brand” into service. What is the unique way you ALWAYS interact with your members? The identifiable actions that you take that the members automatically come to know as uniquely yours? Great brands, including the Ritz-Carlton, Starbucks, Zappos, and Red Robin, all have service signatures.

You wouldn’t let someone modify your logo or brand, would you? But we let our staff do that with our service signature all the time.

6. Pursue remarkable—Good service is not good enough. Why? Because it is easily forgotten and too easily blends into what most people consider “decent” or “average” service. Most people will say they experience “pretty good” service…so long as they weren’t angered about something. That should not be your goal. “Decent service” doesn’t create member loyalty or advocacy.  If you want your members to speak on your behalf, you must intentionally surpass their expectations.

The financial services industry is incredibly competitive. Word of mouth from family and friends continues to be one of the greatest referral programs we can leverage. And as we look to preserve and grow our organizations, we must remember the power of consistently remarkable experiences. If your service sucks, will anyone leave your branches excited to tell their friends and family about you?

Well, they still might tell their friends and family something about you, but I don’t think you’ll like what you hear.

Josh Allison is the founder and Chief Ideator for Think Café, a CU consulting company committed to authenticity and relevance. He is a passionate public speaker and has been invited to present on a number of topics related to youth outreach, relationship management and cu philosophy. His youth and business development programs have garnered national awards and recognitions, and he has been cited in the CU Times and multiple cu blogs for his innovation and ideas. www.joshaallison.blogspot.com