One of the best parts of my job is speaking with customers and learning how they’re using Engageware to improve the in-branch experience. I recently participated in a Future Branches Digital Summit with Krystal Adams, vice president of member experience for Tucson Federal Credit Union.
Krystal is responsible for member experience across six retail branches and the credit union’s call center, as well as marketing, loan production, and the deployment of new products and services to enhance member service. Following her appointment, she was charged with fulfilling leadership’s plan to modernize how members schedule appointments, and how the credit union manages both scheduled and walk-in appointments.
Here are some highlights of our conversation.
“Before we introduced online appointment scheduling, our members weren’t scheduling many appointments at all,” Adams recalled. “Most of the appointments booked were for follow-up meetings because, for example, a member would come in to apply for a loan but without all the documents they needed to complete their application that day. So, we would have to manually book a time for them to return.”
Krystal also described how Tucson Federal’s approach to appointment setting has evolved since implementing the Engageware solution.
“A big part of the success is getting your marketing people involved because the availability of online appointment scheduling needs to be front and center. Our website has the link to schedule an appointment, in bold face, right next to where visitors click most frequently on our website—branch hours and locations. And every marketing email we send now includes a link to book an appointment,” she explained.
Results
Krystal said the number of scheduled appointments has steadily risen in the months since Tucson Federal deployed Engageware. That’s particularly impressive given that a large percentage of the credit union’s members are “snowbirds” who moved to Arizona for a warm-weather retirement. They may not be as comfortable using online solutions as other demographic groups.
“Not only are we booking more appointments, but our members are better prepared when they arrive, which I attribute to our ability to send personalized text and email reminders. We write friendly messages—such as ‘We’re happy to see you. Please be sure to bring the following documents…’—which works really well,” said Adams. “One of the best practices we learned from Engageware was calling members the day before their appointment, even though they also receive a text or email. It gives us the chance to say, ‘Good morning, Mr. Johnson. I’m looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. Do you have everything you need?…’ and then we remind them how to make the appointment successful.”
Krystal added that the credit union’s Member Service Reps (MSRs) like the new technology as well because they were involved in the process from the beginning and see the benefits it delivers. Online appointment scheduling enables them to provide better member service than ever before.
Tucson Federal also sees benefits from using Reserve with Google powered by Engageware. “Everybody knows Google,” she said. “We are utilizing Reserve with Google in our marketing efforts. We revised our keywords because we now can capture appointments right from a Google search. I expect the combination of Engageware and Reserve with Google will help us increase membership, as it is doing for other banks and credit unions I’ve spoken with.”
Click here to watch the full Future Branches Digital Summit Q&A with Krystal Adams.
Building an Ongoing Partnership
“One thing that is really important to me when I work with vendors is what does the relationship look like after implementation? I talked with peers who had been using Engageware and they told me about quarterly and annual check-ins, updates and feedback,” Krystal said. “Staying in touch and keeping me updated on the road map is important to me. That was one of the most critical reasons we selected Engageware.”