SECU Supports Hybrid Banking With New Physical & Virtual Branches

As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, Maryland’s largest credit union has been in the process of implementing a service strategy that supports all members, whether they prefer to conduct transactions at home, use self-service tools in a branch or meet with a staff member face-to-face.

On Aug. 25, the $4.6 billion, Linthicum, Md.-based SECU opened a new financial center in Maple Lawn, a mixed-use community in Fulton, Md., designed to cater to members with a range of human interaction-related comfort levels. It’s the latest in a series of new financial center openings for SECU, with another planned in Frederick, Md., for early November.

For members who would rather not leave home, SECU launched a Virtual Financial Center (VFC) in January 2021, which the credit union said is an enhanced online banking platform that simulates the experience of visiting an in-person branch.

The 2,000-square-foot Maple Lawn branch, SECU’s fourth in Maryland’s Howard County, holds two interactive teller machines (ITMs), which members can use to interact with a live teller through a screen and complete any teller transaction, with the exception of producing official checks, opening accounts and completing wire services. Walk-in and appointment-based in-person services are also offered at Maple Lawn with its four full-time employees: Two member advisors, a financial center manager and an assistant financial center manager.

To keep employees across all SECU branches focused on providing consultative member services, the credit union does not employ onsite tellers and instead directs members to in-branch and drive-thru ITMs for basic services.

“Although our new center focuses on an area of self-service, there are also opportunities for one-on-one consultations as you move through the rest of the financial center – all of which helps with our continued support of hybrid member interactions,” Michele Moore, SVP of retail banking for SECU, said of the Maple Lawn location.

Other COVID-era features of SECU’s consultative offices, including Maple Lawn, include glass dividers set up to separate member advisors from members, masks and hand sanitizer on hand, and in most locations, larger conference rooms to accommodate partners or additional people for a meeting, according to the credit union.

Moore noted that while the Maple Lawn branch does not include a drive-thru, SECU locations with drive-thrus provide a safe way for members to connect with a teller via an ITM, and in addition, member advisors are more than willing to help members by phone and bring transaction information out to their vehicle.

On members’ device screens in the comfort of their homes, SECU’s VFC can be accessed on demand or by appointment. When a member “enters” the VFC, he or she is greeted by a virtual member advisor that the member can interact with using easy-to-follow prompts; the platform also includes how-to videos and step-by-step guidance for a range of financial services, Moore said. Members can also receive assistance from a live member advisor through a chat window or scheduled video call.

“Now more than ever, members need financial advice and we want to continue to provide this in a way that is safe and comfortable to them,” Moore said.

SECU currently operates 24 branches in the Old Line State. Prior to opening the Maple Lawn branch, SECU opened a location in Clarksville, Md., in August 2020. Its soon-to-open Frederick Financial Center will include many of the same features of the Maple Lawn location in addition to drive-thru ATM and ITM services, Moore said, adding that SECU is exploring other areas in Maryland’s Montgomery County to expand the credit union’s footprint. She also noted that all SECU branches hold ITMs except for its location in Lavale, Md.