CLARK, N.J.-Aspire FCU call center staff can tell if they are having a good day by the looks on their faces-which they can see from the mirrors in each of their cubicles.
The mirrors are in place to remind the team that if they have a smile on their face they will have a "smile" in their voice, said CEO Thomas O'Shea. Placing mirrors in call center stations is one of several moves Aspire has made to boost service and ease the transition to e-services. During the last two years the $180-million credit union closed six of its eight locations, many underperforming, and has largely become a virtual CU.
"Member service becomes even that much more important when you deliver much of your services remotely," said O'Shea. "You no longer have the physical body in front of the member, and you have to be able to show empathy and compassion over the phone. We put mirrors in the cubicles so our team can see what they look like when they speak. How you feel, and therefore look, is how you will sound. Over the phone the member can't see you have a new cast on your arm and that you are hurting, and you can't let that pain come across, no matter how slightly, when you talk to members."
Being 'Warm' In Cold Environments
O'Shea said that same thinking applies to electronic services, in how e-mails must be carefully phrased, how chat has to be consistently monitored and answered quickly, and how the website is worded.
"The credit union has to be seen as warm, welcoming and highly service oriented. Phone calls have to be picked up on that first ring. Your service has to be better than it was before."
The 23,150-member Aspire moved two years ago to phase out its branches that were located inside air traffic control facilities in New Jersey and New York. Prior to the World Trade Center attacks, it was easy for members to access the offices inside the control centers, said O'Shea. "As you can imagine, all that changed after 9/11. Essentially, you had to be working inside the facilities to use our offices."
Aspire's charter is multiple common bond, primarily serving federal, state and local government, including the Federal Aviation Administration.
O'Shea admits it was easier to make the decision to move to self-service channels since the credit union received free office space in the control centers. "No buildings to sell or leases to get out of," he said.
The move is saving about $300,000 annually, said O'Shea (payroll and benefits savings = $316,000, data/communication = $24,000, facility/equipment/operational costs = $10,000). "We are adding to our call center to handle increased call volume, so we estimate we'll add about 1.5 people, which gets us to around $300,000 net."
Moreover, the members using the six closed branches were costing Aspire about $190,000 annually due to high transaction volumes and low balances. "Now we are making $25,000 a year on these same members," pointed out O'Shea.
Seven staff were impacted, six jobs were eliminated and one staffer was relocated to the call center. "This certainly was not an easy decision," said O'Shea. "But it was the direction we chose and we believe it is the right one for the credit union."
Not only to streamline operations in a time when mobile banking is taking off, Aspire made the switch to go after a different member segment. The credit union wants to target younger members who are technologically savvy and want to borrow.
"When you make this kind of move, whether you like it or not, you are making a choice as to what type of member you are serving," said O'Shea, who estimates the credit union lost about 100 members by the shift, most of them older. "We lost about $2.5 million in deposits."
To keep the rest of the membership on board, the credit union spent a great deal of time during the last two years transitioning members, and staff, over to "e-thinking. We have been weaning members away from using the branch, showing them they do not need to come in for most of their needs," said O'Shea.
No Need To Drive
Besides training-and incenting-staff to look for every opportunity to tell members who visit the branch, they can use electronic services, such as e-statements, online account balance inquiries and remote deposit capture. When a member physically stops by for a loan they are escorted to a room where they are put on the phone with the centralized lending center. The lending center then answers questions and takes the application. "Members pretty quickly understand they do not need to drive to the branch for a loan," said O'Shea.
A Critical Move
A very important move over the last two years, added O'Shea, was moving heavily to e-documents and e-signature. "For our information pieces, forms and applications we did not want to even fax them to members. We want members to be able to completely manage their credit union business over the web."
Aspire was aware that many members would be losing their relationships with branch staff, which members valued. To help with the transition, as branches were being closed and members were sent notifications, the messages included photos of the call center staff.
"As you move away from bricks and mortar, you have to keep that personal contact with the membership and service has to get even better," reiterated O'Shea. "A big part of that is doing all that you can to keep that human touch between the credit union and members."
