Unlocking Outstanding Member Service
By Mike Neill
A unique dedication toward member service stems from the Seven Cooperative Principles of Credit Unions. But every credit union has room for improvement. What if you could eliminate errors, reduce miscommunications, and overall make doing business at your institution a more positive experience for your membership? The key to unlocking your potential for improving external member service is first improving your internal service.
The philosophy behind a focus on internal service is the service provided to clients is never better than the service employees provide to each other. Poor internal service not only translates to poor member service, but it also has a negative impact on the bottom line. The Gallup Research Group says profitability can be negatively impacted by as much as 20% due to communication breakdowns between departments, operational inefficiencies and poor teamwork.
Credit unions committed to member service can start by following this recipe for improving internal service:
- Measure: take a formal look at what is occurring now to identify strengths and opportunities
- Manage: catch folks doing things right and provide feedback on effective behaviors
- Improve: build in accountability for results to reinforce new behaviors
- Achieve: enjoy the rewards of a positive work environment which infuses a new spirit into your external member service