Helping members adjust to the new contactless way of life

We are now about a month into our new, isolated way of life, and while this will never feel like “normal,” I must admit, it still boggles my mind when anyone still wants to do something in-person, other than getting food or supplies that can’t be ordered online. For me, this includes banking, which is why I’m still surprised that so many people are still going out and trying to conduct their transactions at a physical financial institution. But, that’s me, and I know I need to stop being so focused on myself all the time (which is hard when I haven’t seen anyone except my immediate family in four very long weeks).

Banks and credit unions are still considered “essential” for a reason, and members will, from time to time, have needs that they would like to address in person. That being said, there is still room to further promote the use of digital banking to later adopters, both during this time of crisis, and as a set of tools to help simplify their lives in general. I’ll put these methods of promotion into three categories that I have found helpful: over-communicate, educate and demonstrate.

Over-communicate

To be sure, we have all been inundated with emails lately from every brand to whom we have ever given our email address, with essentially the same message on repeat. But, email is the first line of defense, and it doesn’t hurt to send a reminder or two about the digital services you offer, and how members can access their digital services at this time. It’s also important to think outside of email. Are you communicating your digital services with signage at your physical location, where you have a more captive audience? The homepage of your website? Your on-hold phone message? Your online banking portal? It may seem counterintuitive to promote digital services to someone who is already logged in to online banking, but they may not realize that a certain service they use the branch for is also available in online banking.

Educate

I am a big fan of using video to demonstrate how to do something. Think about the most common questions your credit union receives, and put out a few simple explainer videos that show members the steps for digital activities such as loan payment, remote check deposit or transferring funds. If you are unable to do these in-house, there are many vendors at every price point who specialize in explainer videos, as well as services such as Adobe Spark, which help users create DIY videos.

If video isn’t an option due to time constraints, budget or both, an infographic, or even step-by-step guide, will do the trick. Think about implementing the latter as signage or a takeaway as well.

Instructional blogs can also be a great resource for things that take a little more explaining.

Demonstrate

Take the “if you teach a man to fish” approach and encourage your branch or contact center employees to show members how to do things themselves whenever possible. If they have someone guide them through the process the first time around, they will become more comfortable doing things on their own.

If your credit union offers a great mobile app, contactless payments or voice banking, now is the time to promote these services, as long as the tone is educational and helpful, and not overly salesy.

Good luck out there!