ATHENS, Ohio-Ohio University CU has launched a new Select Employee Group Ambassador Web Portal it expects will help the CU gain a stronger foothold within the community.
A large percentage of OUCU's membership is transient, with college students leaving town after they graduate. Therefore, the credit union has been seeking a strategy to strengthen its ties with its SEGs, explained Laura Pratt, VP-marketing. "We have had to deal with a good amount of attrition," she said.
One way the $240-million OUCU has sought to build SEG relationships over the years is through a rewards program that offers points to its CU ambassadors - employees of SEGs who promote the credit union - when they complete tasks, such as bringing in the credit union for a lunch-and-learn session or signing up a new member. But the rewards program never took off, according to Pratt, since it was not convenient for ambassadors to use.
Pratt explained that that ambassadors - OUCU has one at each SEG - had to call into the credit union when they completed a task that returned reward points, and then call again to check their point totals. She explained that was just not motivating ambassadors to take action and support the credit union.
"It was not driving growth. We had low participation," Pratt said. "The program was cumbersome and these are busy individuals. We just needed to make it easier for them."
OUCU turned to the Columbus, Ohio-based Profound Communications to design the online portal that is expected to launch early this year. It allows SEG ambassadors to log into the portal via a secure ID, check a box when they complete a task, and then immediately see the points they have. Shopping for gifts is just a click away, Pratt said, and points are easily redeemed for rewards online.
Reward levels start at 25,000 points and go up to 125,000. Low-end prizes include music download cards, logo items such as stadium blankets, a paper shredder, and donuts for the office. High-end rewards include $100 grocery store certificates, GPS systems, a 19-inch flat-screen TV, and a pizza party for employees. "We made sure we included items that could be given away to staff as incentives or gifts, in case our ambassadors are not able to accept personal gifts," Pratt said.
Ambassadors are rewarded based on their tasks: they receive 1,000 points for doing things like registering for the new portal, updating a CU brochure display, and putting an article about the credit union in the company newsletter. They pick up 5,000 points when they make a referral that results in a new member, do a payroll stuffer or mailbox distribution, or invite the credit union to an open house. Ambassadors receive 10,000 points when they complete tasks such as linking to the CU's website, scheduling an OUCU onsite visit, or referring a new SEG group.
The portal also carries news about the credit union, so ambassadors can stay informed when they hunt for reward points, Pratt explained. The new portal is only part of the CU's effort to improve on a 1.84% growth rate in 2009. "We are very close to hiring a full-time person to manage the portal and our SEG relationships," said Pratt at press time. She explained that previously the CU had only a part-time staffer assigned to SEG growth.
