WINSTON SALEM, N.C. — Allegacy FCU has streamlined its member feedback process and launched its "Mapping the Member Experience" program in 2011, reviewing each delivery channel and identifying where processes could be improved.
In August 2012 the 117,000-member, $1 billion credit union incorporated its "Member Complaints and Compliments" plan into that program to better process feedback from members.
"The problem was that [complaints and compliments] were handled in more of a silo basis," explained Ashley Kohlrus, Allegacy's chief experience officer (CXO).
"If we received a complaint, we were fantastic service providers and we addressed that complaint," but it was done on an individual basis, rather than working enterprise-wide to identify any potential themes or larger problems.
Consistent Feedback
The focus, she continued, is on creating a process so that feedback is consistent throughout the entire organization, including not just the credit union, but its investment services division and its CUSOs.
"One of the biggest enhancements is having this thematic review on a monthly basis with some key stakeholders internally on the member experience," said Kohlrus. "It adds a layer that we're showing our dedicated efforts and the energy we're placing into making sure our service is optimal."
Under the new process, if MSRs are unable to resolve a problem, complaints are escalated to a central point on the intranet where they can be viewed not only by Kohlrus, but by relevant VPs or other CU leaders. That allows upper-level staff to have a better understanding of what problems members are encountering, as well as giving them an opportunity to rectify the situation.
While members don't see much of the new process, said Kohlrus, they do notice the results.
"It's not at all unusual for me or me and our CEO to personally call our members and talk through a complaint with them," said Kohlrus. "The thing we're providing is something I would challenge that many banks choose not to do, which makes us unlike a bank, because we call back."
Allegacy has also established a dedicated e-mail address for members to register complaints, along with its social media profiles, at the branch and at the call center.
The Good Stuff
The new process is also designed to highlight members' positive interactions with the credit union.
The credit union uses the same intranet system to register compliments as it does complaints, and those get forwarded to an internal recognition team that then communicates that good work being done by staffers at all levels out to the entire organization. The CU also uses Facebook, publishing each Friday selected compliments to let members know about the positive experiences other members are having.
For every complaint we look at, we always have two compliments to that complaint," said Kohlrus. "The trends we're seeing are that we have opportunities for enhancement... but we also are doing great things from a service standpoint, and we need to make sure we recognize that and use it as our differentiator."
Kohlrus encouraged other CUs to keep the focus on creating as smooth an experience for members as possible. Citing a recent finding from SynGro, a UK-based group focused on customer loyalty, she said that in 2011 industry analysts estimated that there were 2,200 customer experience directors worldwide, whereas today that figure has risen to 12,000.
"The world is moving in a direction that's customer-driven and indemnifying who your customer is and how to serve them," Kohlrus said. "The takeaway is that if a credit union doesn't' have somebody responsible for that member experience, they may want to identify someone to do that, because it is making a difference for us."
