ATLANTA, Ga. -
"It's not technology," said Chris Braccia, Director of Product Marketing, Retail Solutions Group, Harland Financial Solutions. "It's strategy."
Braccia will provide insights to help CUs move from what he calls a transaction-based culture to an interaction-based culture using member relationship management strategies during CU Journal's 8th Annual Business Development & SEG Conference, April 12- 13 at the Hyatt Regency in Boston.
Using best practices derived from 85 CUs he's worked with in recent years that are trying to create MRM cultures, Braccia said he would share tips on both what to do and what not to do to enhance the member's experience.
"The goal is to ultimately improve service," Braccia said. "To do that, we need to practice, understand and anticipate members' needs ahead of time."
Instead of simply measuring success by the transactions conducted, he said, CUs should become more proactive in promoting services geared toward each member's individual needs.
"To do that, you need two key elements," he said. "First, is sales and service skills training of the front line staff." This includes knowledge of all products and services and skills to access member profiles so they can cross sell at any given moment.
The second key element, of course, is having those member profiles built, he said.
"A lot of that information is locked in the organization," he said. "It's in the data system, the credit card profiles, lending, insurance- somewhere in the backroom where the hidden magic happens."
Based on the concept that not all households are created equal, Braccia said, building profiles based on each member's demographics creates more opportunities to provide them with the products and services they might need.
If the front line knows that the member they are serving is a candidate for a college savings program, for example, they can hone in on that product, Braccia said.
"Among its suite of services, Harland provides CUs with tools to increase member satisfaction, attract and retain members, and grow your institution with our innovative approach to technology and service integration options."
In addition, its Windows based data processing system called UltraData Essentials provides a complete, up-to-date picture of a CU's entire relationship with each member in a single easy-to-read document. The system manages checking, collects information for loan offices and provides vital accounting and management reports.
