LATHROP VILLAGE, Mich. -
The $463-million credit union is using the voice messages to remind members of the big event, using St. Louis-based GroupCast's automated messaging service.
VP of Lending Kimberly Scott said Michigan First is using GroupCast to create telephone messages that primarily serve as a reminder for other regularly scheduled events, such as special rates on CDs, as well as the car sale. Michigan First has used GroupCast since 2005 and has heard positive remarks from members and witnessed incoming foot traffic the day before the auto sales.
"Now we're trying to connect it to an actual dollar amount," Scott said.
GroupCast has automated message programs for political campaigns, product recall notices for retailers or open enrollment dates for health care providers. For example, GroupCast has a program for K-12 schools called SchoolReach that calls parents about upcoming events they might want to attend, but also to notify them of late bus schedules, report card notifications or an emergency evacuation. GroupCast national Director of Sales Barry Chelist said the tailor-made messages can also be made to show each financial institution's identification on Caller ID.
"If they see their credit union calling, they're going to pick up that phone," he said.
Chelist said GroupCast officials sit down with credit union managers to determine what the message will be, what will be in the script and who will recite it. Chelist said a CU branch manager can read the script to add a familiar voice to a sales event, helping to further boost turnout.
Chelist said the most effective way to employ GroupCast is to stage a normal direct mail campaign or through member statements detailing an upcoming auto loan push. The statements or letters are mailed to specific or pre-approved members and the week of the auto sale, the automated calls start at up to 250 calls per hour. Chelist emphasized that credit unions need to know that GroupCast is sending calls out and not taking them.
"We're not a call center," Chelist said.
Chelist said the phone messages can include member prompts such the routine "Press 1" for pre-approval which then sends members to their CU's call center. Chelist said members who get pre-approval via the automated messages, are one more step closer to buying a new car with their own credit union versus a bank or car dealer.
"They know how much they can spend the day of the sale," he said.
CUs can also use GroupCast for emergencies to tell employees to stay at home or how long to wait before coming into work. Chelist said the service doesn't have to be used in an emergency, such as a robbery, but other incidents such as a downed data processor or computer meltdown that would prevent employees from doing their jobs.
Michigan First's Scott said GroupCast is used to remind up to 18,000 of its members for the biannual auto push. Scott said a few members, less than 10, had objected to the automated calls and where subsequently removed from the call list. Scott said the cost of the service varies with the amount of calls made, around 12 cents for a small number of calls, an amount that can be lowered to seven cents per call for larger campaigns.
Scott said she is so satisfied with the service that she recommended GroupCast to her church leaders, who then used it to remind congregants of its annual meeting. Expecting 200 people to show for the meeting, Scott said the amount was doubled to 400 as a result of the automated calls.
