Moreover, the software system substantially reduced help desk call volume because the information was available online and the credit union also had greater audit and control over the use of space with its branches, according to Navy Federal.

Robert Williamson, SVP for real estate development at the $8 billion Security Service Credit Union in San Antonio, Texas, also sees advantages of leveraging monitoring technology for its 70 branches throughout Texas, Colorado and Utah.

"Technology is continuing to evolve and is changing the way we manage our facilities, while a lot of the daily task of maintaining branches remains the same," Williamson said. "From a monitoring and management standpoint, the technology has significantly improved our capabilities as well as from a performance efficiency and control standpoint."

At the majority of its Security Service's branches, technology centrally monitors and controls, power, water, HVAC, lighting, irrigation and security systems. Williamson said the solution has led to efficiencies that have helped control operational costs. The monitoring system also has enabled the credit union to quickly spot maintenance issues that previously could not be identified without sending in a technician.

"The branch managers are responsible for everything at the branches and they are our eyes and ears when they are there," Williamson said. "But our monitoring system has become the eyes and ears at our branches when they aren't there."

Even credit unions with smaller branch networks are also seeing benefits of leveraging new technologies. Monitoring and control systems are easier to apply and reduced costs have made them more affordable, Steve Howard, assistant vice president of administrative services at the $2.3 billion Redwood Credit Union that manages 17 branches, said. In 2012, the Santa Rosa, Calif.-based cooperative installed technology that monitors the power and temperature in the IT server closets at each of its branches.

"We want to make sure our network is always up and running so monitoring that system is a key component," Howard said. "We will get a signal sent to us if there is any power or line power failures. High temperatures are also flagged as heat can affect the performance of IT systems."

Finding mission-critical technology such as this and knowing how to use other technologies in the most effective ways to manage branches has become a big part of his job as a facility manager, Howard said.

Read more: Managing maintenance and repairs …

The increasing affordability of technology has also allowed the $756 million Three Rivers Credit Union in Fort Wayne, Ind., to install software that tracks daily work orders for daily maintenance and repair projects throughout the cooperative's 18 branch network, according to the credit union.

When maintenance and repairs are needed at a branch, any employee can submit a work order request, which is then prioritized as high, medium or low.

"Before, we never knew how many tickets (work orders) we had, how many we were getting and how quickly we were turning them around," Tiffany Yoquelet, project manager at Three Rivers, said. "This system makes it real easy to track all of that information. It's helped us decide which issues need to be addressed right away and be more efficient."

Aside from monitoring, control and maintenance solutions, technology also is enabling facility managers to amass data that is helping executives make strategic decisions about their branches, how to design them to meet member expectations and where to find new locations.

The facilities management technology that enabled Navy Federal to collect massive amounts of data about its branches, for instance, is helping the credit union develop a flexible and sustainable branch design to adapt to changing member demands, Harrison said.

The world's largest cooperative, which has opened 15 to 20 branches annually since 2007, plans to open 65 additional branches over the next three years, she added.

Because Navy Federal is beginning to see slight declines in cash transactions at the teller and drive thru lines, Harrison said one of the goals is to increase service convenience by opening smaller 3,500-square-foot branches as opposed to 6,000-square-foot branches.

New branches also are equipped with the latest technologies such as digital signage, tablets, cash recyclers and state-of-the-art ATMs.

Navy Federal also prefers to lease space because it allows more flexibility, Harrison said. Neighborhoods can sometimes turn over and the credit union's goal is to place branches in areas that are most convenient for members, Harrison explained.

"I think the role of the branch is evolving," Harrison observed. "So rather than doing a lot of cash transactions at the teller or drive-thru, the expectation is that consumers will be coming to the branch for the servicing side of the branch. We still have a significant number of people who join Navy Federal through the branch."

Redwood CU also sees the role of the branch changing. The cooperative is remodeling three older branches that will have a smaller footprint and will be designed to improve member convenience with more mobile device applications such as a technology bar with tablets that members can access for online information, Howard said. The extra space will be open for partner businesses such as insurance services.

At midsize credit unions, facility managers are seeing their roles evolve into helping make important strategic decisions on branch locations.

DeAndre Zachery, COO for the $100 million Shreveport Federal Credit Union in Shreveport, La., recently oversaw the development of a new branch at a cost much lower than the average $1 million to $1.5 million to design and open a brand new branch.

In exchange for a very favorable lease agreement for a building owned by the city of Shreveport, the credit union refurbished and remodeled the dilapidated structure in a low-income neighborhood, he said.

"We managed to keep the cost under $1 million because of the partnership with the city and we turned an eyesore into an attraction in that neighborhood," Zachery noted.

Shreveport Federal, which manages eight branches in Louisiana and Mississippi, expects to break ground on a new branch in the latter state in about six to nine months and it is looking to the eastern region of Texas to attract the growing Hispanic population, he said.

"I think as facility manager, we have to give thought to how our members want to be served in 2014 and in the years ahead," Zachery explained. "Do members want to walk into a brick and mortar building or can we serve them sufficiently with online banking and ATMs. We're finding out this new generation of members don't have the need to come into a branch. Our strategy is to utilize technology first to give members remote access to banking before we decide to open a new branch."