Consumer Sentiments And Employee Insights (2Q 2018)

Real comments from online review sites to inform strategies, policies, and practices.

Comment

[My credit union] has been a breath of fresh air. The company experience for me aligns with all the positive 4- and 5-star reviews you see here on Glassdoor. My leadership team is excellent. Kind, thankful, courteous, and trusting. They believe in treating the members and employees great. It shows.

Anonymous, Glassdoor

Lesson

What people say about your organization online is an important recruiting tool, especially when so many people today use review sites to make decisions. What’s also important? That your organization lives up to its good name. There’s no faster way to alienate or negatively affect someone’s view than to offer an experience that doesn’t live up to your reputation.

Comment

Horrible customer service! Every time I call customer service I’m on the phone for more than one hour waiting to talk to someone. Just for a simple question! Not a good look. Planning to bank elsewhere!

MISLER91, Credit Karma

Lesson

Call center and customer service employees are a finite resource, to be sure, but technology has advanced to the point where automated phone answering services can and should be table stakes for every credit union. Some members will prefer to bank the way they always have. And why not? It’s comfortable for them. It’s up to the credit union to educate members and explain how automated and mobile services can provide fast answers to simple questions.

Comment

You guys used to be awesome (4 to 5 stars average rating). Not anymore these days you barely get 1 star, especially after you changed your website. Now you ask for 5 (!) security questions/answers instead of 3, and many of them your customers can’t even provide (if they have no siblings, more than one 3rd grade teacher, etc.). And you deny making significant changes to your website. I won’t recommend you to anybody.

Anonymous, Credit Karma

Lesson

The quality of a website says a lot about a business. Would you trust your money to an organization whose site had a confusing structure, antiquated design, and safety features that made it impossible to find basic information? But even sleek and user-friendly websites require changes, including updates. Cybersecurity is a pressing concern, and authenticating members is a necessary evil. Communicate the value of changes and updates, and explain why additional questions and other layers of security will protect members’ money.

Comment

Value your employees and the diverse experience they bring with them. You will not thrive in the community you serve if you don’t value your employees, monetarily or otherwise. The members can sense these things, including a mass exodus of employees when a new CEO is brought in.

Anonymous, Glassdoor.com

Lesson

It’s important to consider the relationship front-line staffers build with the members they serve every day. Try to make transitions in high turnover positions or during changes at the credit union as smooth as possible for members and employees; however, don’t ignore the fact a mass turnover might suggest underlying and uncomfortable truths about the institution and its culture.

Comment

When I moved to the Chicago area, I found a wonderful credit union that had the most outstanding customer service bar none. I was very content and satisfied with them. Unfortunately, they were acquired by [another credit union] and I have had nothing but horrible experiences since.

ADissatisfiedCustomer, Credit Karma

Lesson

A merger is not solely an accounting decision. When one credit union merges with another, hundreds or thousands of members find themselves banking with an institution that was not of their choosing. It’s imperative to ensure service quality does not diminish and to communicate with members from both credit unions throughout the merger. Transparency and communication will help alleviate concerns members might have about changing institutions.

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This article appeared originally in Credit Union Strategy & Performance. Read More Today.

October 1, 2018

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