Donna LoStocco, president/CEO, said the goal is to make continual development of employee skills part of the credit union's culture, and better enable it to achieve its mission of cultivating the financial health of Lehigh Valley residents.

“We believe investing in our employees will move our financial wellness initiatives forward at a rapid pace,” LoStocco said.

The two-day training was given to all senior leaders and front-line employees and was open to all other employees interested in developing their skills. Employees must attend at least one four-hour course each quarter to maintain their certification.

The certification will enable employees to coach members individually in its branches, which it now calls “financial centers,” and remotely by phone, online chat or video. These team members will also present educational seminars, courses and workshops as part of First Commonwealth's free Financial Wellness Program that will launch this summer throughout the Lehigh Valley.

Bethlehem was synonymous with Bethlehem Steel, and steel was once the Lehigh Valley's premiere industry. But First Commonwealth's roots were as a credit union for Western Electric employees in nearby Allentown, Pa., and its members have tended to work in high-tech companies.

LoStocco, who joined First Commonwealth as CEO in June 2016, and Tricia Szurgot, who joined in May as chief marketing and retail officer, came from different credit unions formed for Western Electric employees.

First Commonwealth's membership has grown 16% since 2011, and its web usage has grown from about 37% of members in 2011 to nearly 75% in the first quarter. It started at about the same web usage rate as the nation in 2011, but the national average among federally-insured credit unions was only 49% in the first quarter.

Its membership growth and web usage rates nearly match those of an elite group of 265 credit unions with web usage rates of 75% or more. That group encompasses 6.7 million members, or 6% of members of federally-insured credit unions.

On average, they have about 98,400 members, and their web usage rates have risen from an average of 61% in 2011 to 87% in the first quarter — a far greater gain than others.

Novantas' 2017 Omni-Channel Shopper Study found that consumer segments that placed the highest importance on branches for their checking relationship shrunk significantly in the past year, at the same time that those segments with the lowest branch attachment grew.

The shift was so great that now a majority of U.S. shoppers “don't use bank branches, don't care much for branches … or both.”

Novantas found that the correlation between a dense branch network and the propensity to acquire a higher share of deposits has weakened significantly.

Jim Marous, co-publisher of The Financial Brand, wrote in July that the widening rift in consumer's dependence on branches for transactions means an emotional break will come.

“And as the emotion around branch banking changes, so will the criteria for selecting a financial institution,” Marous wrote. “The implication for financial institutions is that winning deposit and customer share will no longer be determined as much by number and location of branches, but by the ability to resonate with a prospect on a personalized level.”

First Commonwealth started the year with six branches, all within a 25-mile radius of Bethlehem. Soon it will be adding a seventh at a new location in the southern Lehigh Valley.

In July, First Commonwealth closed the branch that housed its Bethlehem headquarters, and opened a stand-alone branch nearby in town. Over the next 12 to 18 months it will be transforming all the remaining branches to a new, open model.

When members walk in, they're greeted by an employee designated as the lobby manager. This meeter-greeter talks with people as they enter to determine their needs. The employee might then either help the individual or direct the person to an employee better able to help with tasks like opening an account or applying for a loan.

“You will definitely not see any of the queue lines. Definitely no more cattle chutes up to the teller,” Szurgot said.

“We want to be able to move the everyday transactions — the deposits, withdrawals and transfers — from in-center to electronic,” Szurgot said. “It's about giving our members a better experience, sometimes without having to ever leave their house.”

Members can do quick transactions using an Interactive Transaction Machine, where they can see and talk live by video with an employee located elsewhere. They can also book an appointment online so an employee is ready to help them when they arrive at the branch.

Szurgot said First Commonwealth has been mapping every touch point with every type of transaction to identify any potential weaknesses, and correct them.

And it has to take a similar level of care in its personal interactions at its branches. The training in coaching is as much about listening and asking the right questions as it is about sharing knowledge.

“When a member isn't physically in one of our centers or performing a transaction online, but they have a need, we want them to think of First Commonwealth first,” Szurgot said. “We want to become the resource hub for all of our members.”

The points at which someone most needs financial advice are the events credit ratings agencies see as warning signs for debt default.

The credit union realizes some members might be suffering now, and simple steps can make a huge difference in both their stress and financial health. For example, finding a way for a member to borrow money for a car can help them keep their job or find their next one, Szurgot said.

“Fast forward five or 10 years, that same member could be opening a new business, and in another year or two it could be a $10 million business,” Szurgot said.

“We want to go beyond financial services, and go deep into the community and talk with those communities that need real help,” she said. “We see it as an investment in our members, who will be incredibly loyal to us.”