BURBANK, Calif. — If Partners Federal Credit Union had a theme song, it would be "Be Our Guest," from the Disney hit musical "Beauty and the Beast."
The $1.2 billion CU with branches in California and Florida has 106,500 members, many of whom are also "cast members," or people who work or have worked for Walt Disney Co.'s parks and movie studios.
For more than 50 years this Disney-like credit union has served its members offering different products for different branches of the world famous company.
"The branch on the [Disneyland] lot serves the cast members who sometimes work odd hours and have different needs than say the executives or the corporate office in Burbank which serves the movie people," said Chief Marketing Officer Mike Terzian of the Anaheim Disneyland branch.
The Anaheim branch is behind the scenes of the famous park that opened in 1955. The walls are painted bright colors and movie posters hang on the walls proclaiming up-coming movies while cast members dressed from the 1800s alongside movie characters complete withball gowns and tiaras line up to make a transaction.
While cashing a check, cast members can see the Disneyland Monorail — the icnoic, high-speed transportation system that rockets throughout the park — fly past. The vibe in the branch is as happy as, well, a Disney movie.
"Building strong, enduring relationships is the primary goal of Partners Federal Credit Union," Terzian said. "And while each member may have some similar goals, every relationship is unique and different. It's easy to think, 'they look like us so they must have the same or similar needs. They're cast members just like I am.' However this would be short-sighted, as each member has her own financial goals, needs and wants."
Members have a variety of ways to inquire about loans with the credit union, including both consumer and real estate. If they're interested in a new loan, members can stop by a local full-service branch or Partners Express Branch.
They can also go online or contact a Partners' employee over the phone to start a new application. If they have an existing loan, members can click, call or go-in to inquire about the status of their loan; whichever channel is the most convenient for them.
Loan growth has remained strong over the past 24 months, with members finding more and more ways to save with Partners. The Anaheim branch recently held a members' car sale and generated more than $1.6 million in auto loans over two days. Members had the opportunity to submit inventory requests as well as price ranges, resulting in a very personalized experience that saved hundreds of members money and time.
Higher Member Expectations
"We used to bank elsewhere, but moved our accounts over to Partners mainly because they are part of the Disney family" said cast member Thomas Seykora. "Every time I use my Partners account, I feel like I'm reinvesting in the company. Since they're Disney, my expectations are higher, and Partners delivers with incredible service. I'm proud to be a member-owner and have a voice in how my credit union is run."
Partners also provides members with the ability to speak with a phone agent, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
This includes not only service inquiries, but also the ability to apply for a consumer loan and/or apply for a new membership with the credit union.
Members, especially those who are currently employed by The Walt Disney Co., work a wide variety of hours, including overnights, weekends and holidays. Since there are a limited number of branches, this puts a premium on making sure that Partners phone channel is able to deliver quality, personal service at the members' convenience.
"Last year, our contact centers handled over 200,000 contacts, including service inquiry calls, emails and web chats, along with new membership applications and new loan applications." said Chris Parker, chief member service officer at Partners. "'One of the ways that we capture our member's feedback is through a series of phone surveys, geared at capturing satisfaction with a recent transaction with a Partners employee."
