(March 31, 2014) -- Each year Heritage Trust Federal Credit Union hosts an in-service day for employees for training, development and recognition. This year, employees participated in a workshop with advisors from the Disney Institute who with the management team at Heritage Trust, designed and delivered a custom program to focus on internal and external service excellence.
“Last year, we introduced our internal brand of T.RU.S.T. which stands for: Team, Respect, Unity, Service and Technology,” said Jim McDaniel, CEO of Heritage Trust. “When planning this year’s event, we wanted to place a special emphasis on maintaining a high quality of service throughout the credit union and we knew that bringing the Disney Institute’s magic could help us do that.”
“Because of a demanding and competitive marketplace in a downed economy over the past few years, we’ve spent most of our development efforts in branding externally. We’ve built two new branches in Mt. Pleasant and continue to grow our Select Employee Group relationships, stated SVP/Chief Development Officer, Emily Reynolds. We wanted a simple, lasting internal brand that employees could be part of shaping and Disney was able to take it to the next level with engaging our team. We provide excellent ongoing employee training and development but our future is focused on creating career development opportunities, going beyond talent acquisition and a total rewards benefit platform and achieving true employee engagement and long-term retention.”
“Strengthening and Sustaining Our Culture of T.R.U.S.T.” was the program that Disney Institute presented to nearly 200 employees. After a session on preserving the overall internal brand, the facilitators focused on how to maintain the credit union’s external customer service quality while intentionally pursuing the same internal customer service. Through a variety of activities, employees explored customer loyalty, shifting the customer experience and setting a direction for service.
Following the Disney Institute’s workshop, the magic continued with employee awards and recognition.
Award recipients are nominated and chosen by a combination of peer nominations and committee decisions.
The host of awards range from longevity to community outreach to service excellence. All employees had the opportunity to win prizes from local vendors and one employee won a stay at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
“We could not have hoped for a better event this year,” said McDaniel. “Employees were thrilled to have Disney visiting us and we all learned how to continue providing our members throughout the Lowcountry with the best quality of service.”
In addition to individual awards, Heritage Trust employees were instrumental in the company winning the 2013 Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Award, the Fit Friendly Worksite Award by the American Heart Association and a national credit union industry award for HR & Training & Development practices.
Heritage Trust Federal Credit Union is a $415 million dollar institution that has been a part of the greater Charleston area since 1955. Heritage Trust serves around 50,000 members and has 12 branch locations and over 300 Select Employer Groups throughout Charleston, Dorchester, Colleton and Berkeley Counties.