Hybrid Event for CU Call Center Leaders to Address Staffing, DEI

Credit union call center managers, who have faced new challenges amid increasing and evolving member service requests due to the pandemic, will gather in person and online for the 25th annual National Credit Union Call Center Conference Oct. 11-13, with the in-person component taking place at Park MGM in Las Vegas.

A key issue up for discussion at the event will be staffing, as many call center agents who have become accustomed to working remotely during the pandemic are reluctant to comply with their employers’ desires for a return to the office, explained Amy Vigil, executive director of the Credit Union Association of New Mexico’s National Credit Union Call Center Resource.

Three sessions are on the agenda that focus on reducing staff shortages with technology that supports remote work, attracting the right talent, and recruitment and retention strategies.

“One of the top sessions will be on retention and incentives, where we’ll discuss ways to keep people here [in the call center],” Vigil said. “In conjunction with that is the idea that incentives will be something more than just dollars. They could be driven by employees who need a flex schedule where they work from home a few days a week.”

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is also on the agenda, as educating employees across all of a credit union’s business units on the topic is critical to the institution’s overall DEI strategy. Vigil said attendees will discuss how to be more accommodating, fair and equitable in the call center, and ways to educate call center employees about the credit union’s DEI philosophy. “As call center agents, you’re the voice of the credit union, and that [DEI] image needs to come across on all channels,” she said.

This is the second year in a row the conference will follow a hybrid onsite/virtual format. In 2020, only seven people attended in person, and this year, about 60 credit union call center leaders have registered so far to attend onsite, Vigil said. She noted that because attendees especially enjoy the event’s collaborative roundtable discussions, organizers are working to ensure that virtual attendees can participate in this year’s roundtable discussions and other networking opportunities from afar.

To help keep onsite attendees safe, physical distancing will be encouraged in meeting rooms, and masks will be required in all indoor spaces except when actively eating or drinking as per Nevada’s current state mask mandate, Vigil said. The venue also follows a seven-point safety plan implemented by MGM Resorts.

Credit Union Association of New Mexico (CUANM) CEO Juan Fernandez Ceballos will host the in-person event, which organizers have assigned a rock music theme and named “Stronger Together Tour – CU Call Centers ROCK!” The CUANM-hosted Credit Union Cannabiz Conference will directly follow the National Credit Union Call Center Conference at the Park MGM on Oct. 13-15.

Registration and more information about the National Credit Union Call Center Conference is available at ncuccr.org.