As the war wages: Frontline v. back office

Earlier this year I got a call from an old friend who said she needed my help with an exasperating situation festering at her credit union. She said her frontline employees were about to engage in full-scale (and possibly physical!) hostilities with her back office employees. She joked that she was considering installing metal detectors at the front door … not for external security reasons but for internal safety reasons.

Since that conversation, I’ve shared this story with many other clients and every time they’ve nodded in agreement and acknowledged that their credit union is suffering from a similar affliction.  Though no one’s fault, similar dysfunction has seemed to inflict many in our industry and, if unchecked, the ramifications will be disastrous and potentially ruinous. Thwart the conflict now or endure the hardships in the not-too-distant future.

On one side of the battle line stands the back office departments, holding to the policies and procedures instilled and stressed as mandatory and rigid. On the other side stands the frontline, proclaimed advocates for the member, yelping that the credit union wouldn’t exist without the service they’re trying to provide. Both are important and vital perspectives.

But as the war wages and the epidemic spreads, everyone suffers – employees on both sides feel the frustration escalate; executives get caught in the middle or feel positioned to defend their turf (lines of business or departments); and members flat-out don’t care why something can’t be done (promptly or at all) and only care that you don’t care enough about them to do what they want done.

To address this crucial issue, first recognize there is no magic wand. If you think there’s going to be an easy answer to such a complex problem, you’re going to be sadly disappointed. Second, acknowledge that everyone shares equally in the issue – both frontline and back office play critical roles in maximizing the member experience. But facing the issue and generating a solution may ultimately be the most important thing your credit union does in 2018.

Following is a six-step roadmap to success:

1. Promote teamwork. Find any and all reasons to get people working together. Get back office staff working with frontline staff. Get “old” employees working with “new” employees. Get managers working with non-managers. Give them projects to address specific business issues and goals. Dedicate time for them to get together and collaborate. These times should be mostly business related but mix in some social and fun, too. The only way for them to develop empathy and a better understanding of each other’s roles is to work in close unison.
2. Set crystal clear expectations. Try something like: “If you directly serve members, your job is to serve them as well as you absolutely, positively can – no questions asked. If you don’t directly serve members, your job is to support those that do – no questions asked.” For member-facing staff, identify the desired behaviors for service and hold them accountable. For non-member-facing staff, identify the desired behaviors for service and hold them accountable. All employees need to have clear expectations and held to an equally high standard.
3. Measure your performance every step of the way. This won’t be easy or perfect but with a little work it’ll be doable and acceptable. Identify feedback channels that allow you to capture emotions and feelings about service experiences as soon after the events as possible. Investments in various surveys, focus groups, observations, and coaching are necessary. Pay particular attention to those instances where multiple employees were involved in the process – how responsive were they? How friendly? Did each employee help or hinder the member experience? Make these measurements visible and a core component of coaching sessions and performance evaluations.
4. Tackle specific member experience situations and map out the desired processes. When we talk about “mapping” it’s important to remember to do it from two perspectives: 1. Internal – what can or can’t you do from a delivery standpoint; and 2. External – what is the member feeling and desiring from an experience standpoint. This often eye-opening process compares what you think the process is and what your members say it is.
5. Now, fix the issues! Once you’ve identified the gaps between the internal and external experience, get teams working on bridging the gap (#1 above), set expectations for a new way of handling those experiences (#2), and identify the metrics you’ll use to constantly measure and report your performance (#3). Look at your most common/important experiences first – loan application processing and problem resolution will likely be near the top of your list.
6. Recognize there’s no finish line. This is an ongoing initiative. It’s exactly why top performing service organizations have an executive who “owns” the culture and experience. They maintain the focus on getting and keeping teams working together to deliver the highest possible levels of internal and external service across the organization. Report regularly and celebrate successes frequently. Who owns the culture and experience at your credit union?

Again, it won’t be fast or easy but the alternative to not addressing your frontline/back office battle could be cataclysmic – member experience suffers; members and star employees defect; revenue and profitability decreases; credit union ceases to exist … hmmm, I’d say it’s worth repelling that warfare.

If your credit union needs help mediating a peaceful solution between your frontline and back office, my firm can help. We work with organizations just like yours to create the cultures and experiences that keep your teams optimizing the member experience you desire and need. We can be reached at www.fi-strategies.com or 636-578-3280.