What makes a member stay? It’s not just convenience. And it’s no longer enough to process transactions. Today, loyalty hinges on trust, confidence, and emotional connection.
Members want meaningful engagement. They want to connect with front-line employees. They want to know their financial institutions care. That shift is driving credit unions to double down on bold new strategies, from immersive training programs to bilingual banking and branch redesigns.
Of course, good intentions don’t move the needle. The following stories show how credit unions are turning insights into smarter, smoother member experiences.
Better MX Starts With Better Front-Line Training …
Cathy Graham has spent her entire working life in credit unions but never worked in a credit union branch until a three-week immersion provided “one of the best experiences of my career.”
Graham, who is executive vice president at Desert Financial Credit Union ($9.1B, Phoenix, AZ), spent two weeks in orientation and a week working in the branch. The singular focus of the experience, she says, was whether she as a “new employee” would feel confident in the branch — not necessarily proficient, but comfortable and ready. After all, comfortable, well-equipped employees build confidence with members.
“Spoiler alert: Nope, I didn’t feel ready,” she says. “But there were a couple of simple changes that would’ve made me feel ready.”
Read more in “Stepping Into The Branch And Out Of The Comfort Zone.”
… But MX Is More Than Just The Front Line
A new program from First Financial of Maryland Federal Credit Union ($1.3B, Sparks, MD) aims to bridge the gap between subject matter expertise and credit union leadership by marrying front-line member experience knowledge with leadership training in a way that prevents silos.
To inspire good experiences for the staff and members and to develop a singular mindset around member experience, the credit union has created a cohort of member experience leaders that includes branch managers, contact center supervisors, digital products managers, back-office leaders, and more.
If the program is successful, participants will gain a deeper appreciation of the work their colleagues do and a better understanding how each can leverage the others’ expertise for success, says Arturo Leon, assistant vice president and member experience officer at First Financial of Maryland.
Read more in “Better Member Experience? There’s A Class For That.”
Listening To Members Starts With Language
WECU ($3.1B, Bellingham, WA) is using language training to better engage with Spanish-speaking consumers as the credit union expands its reach. The training offers two tracks — basic and advanced, depending on the employee’s fluency — and pairs staffers with Spanish instructors and tutors from Western Washington University for four 90-minute sessions across four weeks.
“Our primary goal was to support our staff who wanted to acquire the Spanish skills needed to better support our Spanish-speaking members, especially as our Spanish-speaking membership grows,” says Cindy Klein, WECU’s chief human resources officer.
Instruction is available to member-facing retail staff, helping WECU increase its efforts toward inclusion and preparing the credit union for broader demographic changes taking place nationwide.
Read more in “¿Habla Finance? At WECU, Employees Are Learning.”
What’s Driving Member Engagement In 2026? Members stay when they feel seen, cared for, and confident that their credit union is invested in their financial wellbeing. That’s not achieved through service or rates — its earned through emotional connection. By creating a strategy around mission-aligned, data informed actions, credit unions are already shifting member behaviors to improve members’ financial wellbeing and underpin the credit union’s sustainable growth. Learn more today.
