Happy Member, Happy Branch
Comment
I’ve been a member at this branch since they opened their doors back in 2006 and even though I no longer live in the neighborhood, I have never considered leaving. This branch was established to serve the Spanish-speaking community, so if you are not Spanish-speaking it might be easy to think this place isn’t for you. Not true! The staff is fully bilingual and there to serve the entire community. This is the friendliest, most efficient, and most service-oriented staff I have encountered almost anywhere.
A big membership perk is that you can get one free certified check per business day. This means you never have to worry about bouncing your rent check.
Margo J., Yelp.com
Lesson
The happy member of this East Coast cooperative went on to say this branch provides excellent service not based on the size of [members] accounts but because they are human. Providing a critical service like free certified checks helps make banking affordable for the growing number of cash-strapped Americans living paycheck to paycheck. Plus, it keeps them inside the movement that was created to serve people of modest means in the first place.
Boost Employee Morale
Comment
Too many top executives get an exorbitant salary while staff can’t be hired due to the budget. Those that are hired never stay very long. It’s a revolving door which contributes to low morale among staff. Value your employees and pay them according to what they contribute to achieve the credit union’s goals so you can get your bonuses. Value credit union knowledge and try to keep that knowledge rather than let it leave.
Current Employee, Glassdoor.com
Lesson
This reviewer, and other Glassdoor posts that said they were current and former employees of this West Coast credit union, echoed a similar theme: High turnover is a problem. Some of the other reviews called it a good place to work except for that turnover and advised management to look into why people weren’t sticking around. This reviewer implies it’s because of work overload caused by a tight budget not reflected in high executive salaries.
Working conditions can be as important as pay, but every employee wants at least a living wage. This organization might want to invest in expanding staff, which would spread the workload and keep some valuable institutional memory around. Happy staff members typically aren’t as concerned about what those above them make.
Serve The Community First
Comment
The experience upon opening an account with [this Texas credit union] was excellent. Michael told us all about the different accounts and the different charities to which they donate. [This credit union] is community-oriented, and that’s very commendable. The people there are very friendly, and I appreciate their knowledge of what I needed.
Linda, Trustpilot.com
Lesson
It’s nice this new member remembered the service rep’s name and commented on the excellent service. What’s really notable, however, is the fact the reviewer took the time to talk about the credit union’s community orientation. This is a good example of why it’s important to not only do good in the community but also to share that good news. It certainly resonated with Linda.
Understand The Credit Union Difference
Comment
Hardest part of job is getting required number of weekly referrals. If not, they harp at you constantly. It’s hard to do when you see the same people week in, week out and have already tried to cross-sell your products. Those that have been there any length of time don’t feel secure in their jobs.
There’s been new management in the past five or six years, and it feels like they’re trying to make us more like a bank, rather than the credit union philosophy of people helping people. The more enjoyable part is working with the members and most immediate co-workers.
Current Employee, Indeed.com
Lesson
That’s an interesting point about trying to cross-sell to the same members every week, but growth is important, too. In this case, if this credit union offers better rates and service than the bank down the street, then the executives need coach staff members to help them understand the credit union difference. Using that difference as the basis for member conversations might help pave the way to having a conversation that is focused on finding ways the credit union can help rather than on selling a new loan the member doesn’t need, which is how this employee views the job right now.