American 1 Credit Union Empowers Members with Automated Self-Service Support and Chatbot During COVID-19 Crisis
Credit union’s self-service initiative proves invaluable at onset of pandemic, dedicated Coronavirus information center deployed across all digital channels
Portsmouth, N.H., September 15, 2020 – Engageware, the only support solution built exclusively for the financial services industry, announced Jackson, Mich.-based American 1 Credit Union successfully deployed the company’s Customer Self-Service solution, including a chatbot, to provide members with 24/7 automated self-service across all digital channels. Members are guided through the website, mobile and online banking avenues with consistent, engaging answers via search, contextual FAQ widgets, guided tutorials and chatbot, providing a more intuitive, engaging self-service support experience.
In April 2019, American 1 Credit Union launched a new department to focus exclusively on enhancing and improving the overall member experience. Initially, the Member Experience Department conducted interviews with key personnel across the credit union’s 17 branches, analyzed key metrics, as well as collected direct feedback from member communication channels to determine which initiatives were most important to members and would have the greatest impact. Almost immediately, a common theme emerged, self-service, as the highest priority both for branch employees, as well as members. After a thorough evaluation period, the credit union selected Engageware’s Customer Self-Service platform and successfully deployed the new automated, support tools and services to its members.
American 1 Credit Union’s Vice President of Member Experience, Laura Pryor, said, “We implemented Engageware at the end of 2019. It was an excellent self-service tool immediately. However, it has proven to be exponentially more important through the COVID-19 pandemic. Working together with Engageware, we were able to quickly launch a dedicated Coronavirus Information Center that was available to members on all of our digital channels. Engageware’s content team proactively reached out to our credit union to provide suggestions for the content based on the top questions and concerns from members across the country. Additionally, we followed their proven best practices approach to ensure all of the pandemic-related information was easily accessible and was automatically updated in real-time across all channels to ensure our members understood the current guidelines, and options available for all of their banking needs.”
As of June 15, all of American 1’s branches are open and operational, but many members continue to conduct their essential banking services remotely through American 1’s Online Banking, Mobile App (with mobile check deposit), its 24-hour Contact Center, automated chatbot, and other self-service options. The increased adoption and usage of its digital banking tools was significantly enhanced by the self-service support features such as guided tutorials and product-specific FAQs included with Engageware Customer Self-Service.
Engageware’s Customer Self-Service platform is designed specifically for financial institutions and includes a rich set of support features and content that addresses the unique needs, processes and compliance requirements of credit unions like American 1. It guides members by proactively providing recommendations, logical next steps, and contextual support so that members can easily access information without undue burden on a contact center. And since 54 percent of questions are asked on nights and weekends, the solution helps to create a more engaging and effective member experience.
“Anytime a member is seeking information, regardless of the channel, Engageware’s platform ensures they are able to easily and quickly find that information, but then takes this a step further to provide additional information that is relevant, as well as a call to action pointing the member to related tasks that may be of interest,” said Pryor. “By providing this additional information, our members not only discover new products and services, but are also able to immediately begin the process to either open a new account, register to use a new service, complete an online application or instantly begin using a new tool. For example, inquiries regarding the credit union’s routing number usually indicate the member is setting up direct deposit or making a payment. We provide the requested information, the routing number, but then also include relevant information and guided tutorials for related products and services. We are able to provide our members the self-service they want, and also engage members and provide personalized, tailored suggestions focusing on their financial wellness.”
Pryor continued, “We recognized self-service as vital to our future success before the onset of the pandemic, however, COVID-19 quickly placed a spotlight on the vital importance of enabling members to conduct business at a time and place that is most convenient to the member. Credit unions must recognize we are not simply competing against other financial institutions in our community, but rather, we are being compared to the digital giants and larger, more regional institutions. Our members demand the same type of service they receive from these giants from their local credit union, along with the personalized self-service that differentiates credit unions from other institutions. Our partnership with Engageware has enabled us to be more responsive to our members’ needs and provide a more engaging, effective experience.”
With the Engageware Customer Self-Service solution, members can easily find information using a familiar search bar that can be deployed across all channels as well as via chatbot. Search results appear in a Google-like list, allowing consumers to easily find the information they are seeking. And since Engageware developed more than 100 custom answers that follows its proprietary 3A methodology: Answer the question, provide additional information, and present clear calls to action, the member is engaged in a more rewarding experience. The support center is available within the mobile banking app, as well as in online banking (before and after the PIN) to ensure members can easily access information they need via chatbot, contextual widgets and links to Engageware hosted results pages.
Former CEO Scott Cornell said, “Innovative institutions like American 1 understand the significance of constantly improving the member experience. In the current environment, constantly improving the member experience is vital to a credit union’s future success. We take great pride in providing solutions that are not only easy to implement, but that help their members deliver the digital self-service support they need, now more than ever. Support solutions should not be one size fits all, and we understand that financial institutions have unique needs, processes and compliance requirements.”
About American 1 Credit Union
Established in 1950, American 1 Credit Union today serves over 57,000 members with 17 branch locations across Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Calhoun, Lenawee, and Wayne counties. American 1 is proud to serve the members of their communities by creating financial wellness through personal everyday banking. For more information, visit https://www.american1cu.org.