Get to the Point: 5 Tips for Efficient Member Communications During a Crisis

Today, your members are worried about their physical health and their financial health. As you've watched COVID-19 rock global markets, you may have become aware of just how important it is to communicate clearly, quickly and confidently with your members about the services and products you can provide in this moment.

It's time to put your members first, communicate clearly and provide access to answers that span channels to provide the outstanding member service credit unions are known for regardless of circumstances, as well as assurance that their financial future is secure with you as their partner.

Digital channels may not have been your first line of communications, but they are now, and email communication during a crisis has a different playbook than other channels. Here are five tips to help your team communicate effectively with your members right now.

1. Ditch the Preamble and Get to the Point

We all know we're experiencing an unprecedented public health crisis. There's no need to begin each email you send with a lengthy introduction explaining to people what they're going through. Let your members know that you are here to help them and quickly get to the point.

To make sure your email communications are efficient:

Use the subject line to communicate what the message contains.
Choose direct language in subheaders so that folks can scan the text quickly and easily understand your main points.
Lead with your primary message. Make it clear what your communication is about from the first paragraph.

While some context can be helpful if the goal of your email is to explain why you're changing or expanding a customer service channel, aim for concision and clarity over dense paragraphs of text that may be hard for members to take in, especially if they're reading their emails on a mobile device.

2. Put the Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF)

Digital communications follow a different set of norms than direct mail, and one of these is clarity. Now that 66% of consumers open messages from the financial services industry on a mobile device (Source: emailmonday.com), you must optimize your writing for mobile email consumption.

To meet this goal, let a helpful acronym steer your writing. BLUF stands for Bottom Line Up Front, and it comes straight from the U.S. military.

The basic principle is that if you're writing a memo about when the bomb will drop tomorrow, that should be the first piece of information you communicate, followed by where it will fall and any other pertinent information the troops need to know.

Although you're not dealing with weaponry, it's important that your members get the information they need without having to dig for it. For example, if you're sending an email to inform members that all of your branches will be closed effective immediately, that information should be communicated in the first sentence of your email, as well as in the subject line.

But BLUF isn't the bottom line. Your communications during this period of branch closures should be service-focused and helpful, which brings us to the third piece of advice.

3. Provide Members With Clear, Actionable Steps to Get Efficient Assistance

In addition to clearly communicating the primary message, your email should provide both actionable steps, key information and assurance to go with it.

To extend the branch closure example, this email should also let members know what measures you have in place and what you'll be doing to provide service through other channels of communication like email or phone centers. By giving your members the resources they need to get assistance and locate answers, you can help reduce their anxiety and give them the tools they need to take action.

Perhaps as part of an email blast to your membership, you might include information and a directive. For example:

Our branches are closed until April 30 in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

To support our members, we've added increased staffing to our call center and will have additional representatives available to take your calls from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays until further notice. Our regular call center hours are Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

When you call in, please have these three things handy to help us verify your identity and promptly assist you: Your Account ID, your social security number and your current mailing address.

The key elements in this example are that the credit union makes a point to:

Identify the best channel for getting in touch.
Empower members to get expedited service with clear, actionable directions.

By keeping your messages short and to the point, you communicate your command over what is under your control. This makes people feel reassured and bolsters their confidence in their credit union's leadership.

4. Harness the Power of White Space

Don't make your members hunt for the answers they're looking for within a block of text.

Give your writing room to breathe.

Focus on providing actionable information and access to the resources your members need most.

Embrace the white space in each email, and don't be afraid to include paragraphs that are only one sentence long. While this kind of stylistic choice is not conventional in paper correspondence, it is perfectly acceptable in email communications.

Following modern style guidelines also shows your members that you are a modern member services department that knows how to get the right information to members at the right time.

5. If Your Credit Union Needs Advice, Ask For Help

If your team is looking for additional advice, resources or answers to questions about how to assist members during this extraordinary moment, you're not alone. There are plenty of resources available to you, including:

The NAFCU Coronavirus hub includes articles that answer frequently asked questions, a list of free webinars on credit union responses to the outbreak, and a host of NAFCU comment letters that have been submitted to the Hill and regulators.
The NCUA also has a coronavirus response page to help leaders that provides members with contact information to help direct their questions.
Your peers. Other credit unions are dealing with the same issues you are facing today. If you're having trouble finding answers in a timely manner when you reach out to nationally available resources, don't hesitate to reach out to the folks in your network who are hard at work tackling the same issues day to day. They may be able to share the tools and strategies that are working for them.

When in doubt, stick to the basics: Remember your charter, execute your business continuity plan to the best of your ability, and stay in touch with your members to make sure they have the financial tools they need.

Communicate Clearly and Consistently Through Any Crisis

Whether you're updating your email messaging, website copy or text message follow-ups, clear communication takes skill to get right. But that doesn't mean you can't execute an excellent digital communications strategy that helps foster trust with your membership during this trying time.

These five tips help ensure that your members have a positive experience with your credit union and you stand out as a reassuring presence at a time when everyone is being barraged with email communications from every institution they interact with.

Your members trust you with their financial well-being. Your consistency and reliability during this time will go miles on the journey to building and maintaining member trust. The first step is simple: Thoughtful, digital outreach that lets members know you're there to help.