NAPERVILLE, Ill.-Extending the credit union's reach via the Internet has become a necessity for most CUs. But to ensure sites drive business rather than take up space on the Web, design should focus on the transactions the credit union wants members to make.
That's the thinking behind DuPage Credit Union's website, which was overhauled in December 2007-with excellent results, making it a Credit Union Journal 2008 Best Practices Award winner in Websites. By making Dupagecu.com more "transactional" as opposed to "informational," the credit union has exceeded its goals this year for online Visa credit and check card sign-ups, and is on its way to beating its goal for online mortgage apps.
"Those were our two strategic goals for the site," explained Roberta Kozlowicz, SVP-corporate development, who added that the new site also increased online member applications by 39% over last year. "It's been a tremendous success."
When members come to Dupagecu.com, they're greeted by three options-Bank, Borrow, and Invest-which stand out prominently on the homepage. From those options, action items are clearly filtered. For instance, the Borrow page has links to learn more about reverse mortgages, home equity loans, Visa credit cards, auto loans, personal loans, and current rates.
"The next step is to apply," Kozlowicz said. "Visitors are only three clicks away from joining as new members or opening new services, and Internet banking has a direct link from the home page. Call to action was one of the key factors in site development-users have to go no more than three clicks to view any page they are interested in."
Extending its reach to members is particularly important to the $265-million DuPage, whose charter covers an expansive area that's growing fast. "The website is often the first impression people have of our credit union," reminded Kozlowicz.
The site was reworked not only to improve functionality and drive business, but to reflect DuPage's new brand image. "Our branding effort has changed just about everything except our logo," Kozlowicz said. "We wanted to make sure our new look and feel are reflected in the website."
Not all of the success is due simply to the site's design. Kozlowicz said a year-long advertising campaign leading up to the site's relaunch helped create a great deal of interest. Members were apprised that changes were coming, and were given more details as launch neared. Just prior to launch, DuPage changed the look of its online banking interface to reflect the new design.
"We felt it was important that we update our online banking interface before we launched the entire site," Kozlowicz said. "If members became concerned about the new site, we knew we would hear first from those who use online banking."
Craig McLaughlin, president of the San Mateo, Calif.-based Extractable, which developed the site, said Dupagecu.com is designed to give the credit union a "highly professional image" and to generate business from members and non-members.
"If someone is new to the credit union they will quickly see the breadth of services available and have a means to easily sign up," McLaughlin said. "The same is true for a member, who may just have an auto loan and are using the site to make a payment. They will easily see all of the services the credit unions offers."
While DuPage and Extractable would not disclose cost for the site, McLaughlin said websites they design for credit unions typically run "in excess of six figures. We feel that this is a very worthwhile investment. The attention to detail and user experience is critical, because the Web site is one of the main marketing communication pieces credit unions have."
For info: www.extractable.com; www.dupagecu.com.
BEST PRACTICES
DuPage CU, Naperville, Ill.
Category: Online Services
Provider: Extractable
