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If given the choice, we would all opt to stay in a 5-star hotel or eat at a 5-star restaurant. Credit unions are no different. So how do you create a 5-star experience for your members? Take control by having a winning member experience program that’s so ingrained in employees’ minds, it becomes second nature.
From conducting member experience training for credit unions around the country over the past 14 years, I have observed a thing or two. At On The Mark Strategies, we have seen programs that succeed and programs that fail. These are the 5 winning strategies that differentiate the programs that win from those that go to die.
1. Consistency Is Key
Forbes just published its Best Customer Service 2025 list, and at number 3 sits one of my favorites: Chick-Fil-A. This is no surprise, because it’s known for training its employees to deliver the same service at every location. This includes how to answer questions, resolve complaints and of course, end every interaction by saying “my pleasure.”
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Credit unions must adopt the same philosophy and make training a priority. It’s easy to put training on the back burner in a busy credit union environment, but that’s a mistake. One credit union we work with continued its member experience training even through a core conversion, and it paid off in spades. Its employees were able to maintain a consistent member experience, despite the strains a conversion can put on employees and members.
2. Hold Employees Accountable
It’s not enough for employees to turn up once a month for training. The credit unions we work with that get the most impact out of their member experience program are the ones whose managers hold their staff accountable. Share success stories and member reviews with staff as positive reinforcement. Make sure managers are following up with employees on a regular basis to discuss and practice topics learned in training.
One of our clients sends out a fun quiz after each training session to test employees’ knowledge. If there were any gaps, they know what follow up needs to occur. It’s also critical for managers to reinforce why it’s important. In the book “Unreasonable Hospitality,” author Will Guidara writes, “Explain the ‘why’ behind expectations so your team understands the bigger picture and feels invested in achieving high standards.” When managers can help employees connect their why with member experience, it becomes personal. They want to hold the credit union, and themselves, to a higher standard.
3. Ingrain It in Your Culture
In the book “Never Lose a Customer Again,” author Joey Coleman writes, "Customer service is not a department, it's a culture." This especially rings true for credit unions. Your level of external service to your members will never be as good as your level of internal service to each other, and that’s why member experience must permeate the organization and become part of the culture. For this to happen, employees across all levels of the organization must buy in and engage with the member experience program.
One of our clients, the Dallas-based Prestige Community Credit Union ($122 million assets), does this exceptionally well. Senior Vice President of Marketing & Operations Ron Knight said, “Training and the member experience have become part of our culture. We live our brand every day, whether with members, or with each other. Our management at every level not only attends the member experience training, but we participate too. When they see the senior staff engaged in the training alongside credit union staff, it sends a message to staff that this is critical to the success of our credit union.”
4. Make It Engaging and Fun
Successful online shoe and clothing retailer Zappos is known for its outstanding culture and customer service. At the heart of this are 10 guiding principles, one of which is, “Create fun and a little weirdness.” Our clients that infuse fun into their member experience programs are the ones who benefit the most from staff engagement.
The $299 million, Fort Worth, Texas-based Unity One Credit Union, whose tagline is Think Outside the Bank, applies this philosophy to its member experience program, too. The program is called Live BOLD and is led each year by the Bold, Inc., a team made up of a cross section of employees hand-picked to spearhead the program. Members the Bold, Inc. receive special training, wear different colored T-shirts, and plan fun activities throughout the year that revolve around their brand.
5. Link It to Your Brand
For staff to connect with the program, you must link it to your brand. Give it a name, incorporate it into processes and procedures, and make it part of the vernacular of your credit union. Create an emotional connection to the brand by telling stories that exemplify it. Branding expert Scott Talgo said, “A brand that captures your mind gains behavior. A brand that captures your heart gains commitment.”
We worked with a credit union in Massachusetts to solidify its member experience program in the minds of employees. Employees crafted stories in which the members were the heroes, and the credit union guided them on the path to overcoming challenges. The stories were based on real people who were struggling in one way or another. Employees had fun naming the characters and embellishing the details. This exercise helped them form an emotional connection to the brand. All of a sudden, it wasn’t just an auto loan, but it was giving a single mother more time with her children because she didn’t have to take the bus to work.
The most critical step, though, is to make member experience ongoing. This is not a case of one and done or a box you can check off after a year. It takes two or three years for member experience to truly become part of the culture of an organization – for it to be so ingrained in employees’ minds that it becomes second nature. But just like in the movie “Field of Dreams,” if you build it (member experience program), they (members) will come.
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