SAFE CU Sends the Right Message

The $3 billion, Folsom, Calif.-based SAFE Credit Union implemented the Atlanta, Ga.-based fintech provider NCR Corp.’s Promotion Suite Premium tool to help create better, more targeted digital member experiences.

NCR’s Promotion Suite Premium’s capabilities combine push notifications, geofencing, beacons, campaign management, app messaging and secure chat in an integrated digital experience. The tool’s real-time geofencing information – which is based on a person’s location and individual needs – creates a tailored online and digital experience with a human touch for SAFE members.

“With a superior digital customer experience and a focus on meeting the needs of consumers, we are enabling SAFE Credit Union to compete and win against larger financial institutions,” Douglas Brown, SVP/general manager for NCR Digital Banking, said. Brown explained by personalizing the banking experience, SAFE can communicate effectively while continuing to build brand loyalty, deepen member relationships and improve its base’s financial well-being.

“For SAFE, it’s about having tools that allow us to get relevant messaging to our members,” Danielle Juarez, assistant vice president of digital banking strategy and innovation at SAFE, said. “[It’s about] not over-inundating them every single day with messages so that they turn the feature off. That would be the opposite of what we want. We’re very cautious about what we’re sending and when we’re sending it; so, we’re not just bombarding somebody’s phone with message after message.”

Juarez said the credit union used the NCR promotion tool in a pilot fashion for approximately the last three years, but launched it for member-facing activities in June 2018.

NCR’s Promotion Suite Premium provides SAFE with the means and flexibility to deliver relevant, fully-customizable messaging. Juarez noted, “The main thing it does is allows us to send push notifications to our members’ phones. We have always had ways to communicate with our members, which are the standard mail/email, and through our corporate website. But we’ve never had a tool that allowed us to get an immediate message to a member.”

SAFE also looked to the promotion suite to more effectively reach its mobile-only members. Because mobile-only users are unlikely to log in to online banking on a desktop or laptop, or visit a branch, it became critical for SAFE to optimize the mobile channel so it would reach this fast-growing segment in an impactful and engaging way.

Brown pointed out, “They really wanted a messaging conduit to the members; it wasn’t so much about just the marketing or advertising component, which they’ve done. It was more about deepening relationship engagement in many instances.”

When SAFE experienced a debit card outage in specific geographies, the credit union turned to the messaging capability for help. Rather than sound the alarm bells to the entire member base, SAFE quickly lined up a message campaign to specifically alert those affected. “Through the messaging conduit and targeting to the right people, they were able to keep people notified and turn an ugly experience into a winning scenario,” Brown said.

As long as members enabled SAFE push notifications, the credit union could reach members who were potentially impacted more quickly, regardless of whether or not they had the app open. The majority of affected members received a mobile heads-up about the issue before attempting to use their card, then received an all-clear notification once SAFE resolved the issue.

Prior to the push, the credit union’s call center queue had reached capacity. SAFE saw the call volume drop by more than 100 calls, and call abandonment fell by 88% within minutes of sending an alert message to affected members. “As a result, it was a win-win because the call center was unburdened, number one. Then, number two, members were actually quite pleased,” Brown said. One member even used social media to tout SAFE’s handling of the situation.

Brown explained SAFE is an early adopter and that it was using Promotion Suite Premium in its prerelease form. “It actually goes across digital channels with online, mobile and even wearable delivery.”

He added mobile push notifications are some of the primary mechanisms the suite uses to alert members. “It’s a full digital channel delivery, but mobile, of course, has the higher relevance because we all have our phones with us.”

In addition to transforming the way SAFE communicates with its members, through enabling the credit union to segment and message users with push or in-app notifications, SAFE can send relevant messaging to specific groups instead of showing every member a similar banner and hoping it interests all of them.

Promotion Suite Premium also allows the credit union to construct geofencing and beacon technology to message members in relevant locations. SAFE uses the solution to build brand loyalty by creating fun location-based events.

“One of the other great things it allows us to do is message individuals in a certain location at a point in time,” Juarez noted.

She added SAFE can place a digital fence around buildings, a corporate office or, as it has done, the Sacramento River Cats’ home field, which gave members making a purchase inside the stadium the chance to win prizes. “So, when our members cross over a threshold we’ve defined, we serve up a message we want them to see about something that might be happening.”

While SAFE chose to send the offer to all members at the minor league field, it could have also used Promotion Suite Premium to target only certain members.

Brown mentioned SAFE also uses geofencing to promote charity events and locations. “They’re really using it cleverly to incent things that are meaningful and personalized, and not just spam me with another mortgage offer. It’s tied to a deeper relationship play.”

Another use for NCR Promotion Suite Premium is tied to SAFE’s rewards program for debit cards. To encourage debit card spending, SAFE offers a bonus program periodically to its members enabling them to earn 5% for any purchase that fell into specific categories. Over time, SAFE observed a large population was not selecting a category.

To build program awareness and increase participation, SAFE used Promotion Suite Premium to send a push notification that encouraged members to log in to their mobile app and select a bonus category.

SAFE was able to segment the notification to a list of members who had not yet selected a category – and it worked. The campaign saw an average of a 30% conversion rate (clicks that resulted in category selection) and ran weekly for four weeks at a time.

Going forward, SAFE plans to combine geofencing with its incentive program. “It’s definitely on our roadmap for this year,” Juarez said. For instance, it ran a small test earlier this year with wholesale-type stores (such as Costco) with 5% cash back categories.

“It was a reminder for our members to use their SAFE credit card when they made their purchase, which also brings us to top of wallet, right where we want to be,” she said, adding it also rewards the members. “We have a lot of members who take advantage of both the cash back credit card and debit card programs, earning money back just by making everyday purchases.”

Juarez also noted, “When we launched our cash rewards credit card, we actually built that product completely in house. All of the development and product build was done right here at SAFE, so that’s a huge cost savings.”

SAFE has yet to turn on another Promotion Suite Premium feature – two-way text communication. “It’s not because it doesn’t function properly,” Juarez explained. “We’ve done testing with it. If we send a push notification to the member, the product allows for them to communicate back and forth with us via text.”

Juarez noted the credit union has some more work to do internally to properly structure departments to handle that work, but it is something SAFE plans to implement as another tool in its messaging belt.