Press
Wright-Patt Credit Union opens cutting-edge member center in Columbus, OH
FAIRBORN, OH (December 6, 2013) — During a special ribbon-cutting event held on December 3, 2013, Wright-Patt Credit Union (WPCU) officially marked its expansion into the Columbus, Ohio area by opening its newest member center (branch) located at 1600 W. Lane Avenue, Suite 150 in Upper Arlington – the first of five to open in the Columbus area by the end of 2014. The digitally-centric café-style member center will use interactive technology, such as Personal Teller Machines (PTM) and iPads, to provide convenience and ease of use, and to enhance the overall personal member (customer) experience with the credit union’s on-site Financial Solutions Coaches. In addition to the new Lane Avenue member center, the credit union, which already serves nearly 4,000 members in the Columbus area, also recently opened a regional office located at 1500 Lake Shore Drive.
“We are very pleased to open our first member center in Columbus. I’m even more pleased to be able to offer area residents an exciting new banking experience, “said Douglas A. Fecher, WPCU President and CEO. “When we looked toward the future, we first let the market dictate our expansion plans. Columbus was the area most requested by our members. Then, to set ourselves apart from other financial institutions, we put the finishing touches on a standout member experience.”
To deliver a completely different experience that helps members save better and borrow smarter requires a unique, two-fold approach to service: utilizing cutting-edge technology and having personal on-site collaboration with Financial Solutions Coaches. The 2,290 square-foot member center uses iPads, an interactive digital wall, large screen monitors mounted to Financial Solutions Coach’s office walls to offer side-by-side new account opening and other services, along with PTMs.
“PTMs elevate the credit union from a transaction-based business to a relationship-based business working with Financial Solutions Coaches,” noted Darrick Weeks, Chief Operating Officer. “Centralizing these resources helps us take a more holistic approach to our members’ financial needs, by allowing our Financial Solutions Coaches at the member center to sit down and spend more time helping members with loans, retirement and savings etc.”
PTMs enable a real-time member interaction with a live, offsite teller via video connection through which members can conduct their day-to-day banking. Remote tellers take member relationships to heart and deliver a personal touch with each transaction. It’s as personal as it would be in a traditional teller setting.
WPCU began piloting the PTM technology and “concierge” service at its Springboro, Ohio member center last spring. Initial feedback from WPCU members about the experience has been extremely positive. “We hear comments like wild, cool experience, to members referring to it as our ‘Star Trek’ member center,” noted Tracy A. Fors, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. “It really is exciting to use our PTMs.”
WPCU was approved by the State of Ohio’s Division of Financial Institutions to expand its field of membership to include Franklin County in February 2013.
About Wright-Patt Credit Union
Established in 1932, Wright-Patt Credit Union is a member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative proudly serving the Miami Valley and Columbus markets with over 260,000 members and $2.66 billion in assets. As a cooperative, Wright-Patt Credit Union joins members together, pooling financial resources to meet the needs of all. The pooled resources provide the capital to run a strong and efficient operation. Wright-Patt Credit Union is headquartered in Fairborn, Ohio, and has 26 Member Centers throughout Southwest and Central Ohio. Wright-Patt Credit Union’s mission is to help people through life by allowing members to achieve a greater degree of economic independence. Visit Wright-Patt Credit Union’s website at www.wpcu.coop for more information.