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…and why they can’t afford to
It might sound ridiculous that any credit union could overlook tech training, but it happens.
CUES member Maria Rolston knows why. “It can be overlooked because there is so much going on … that it can be easy to forget everyone at the credit union needs to learn [about the new system or software]—not just a certain department or group of people.”
This kind of training also can be overlooked “if there is not a strong training team in place” at the credit union, adds Rolston, chief administrative officer at $1.1 billion, 105,000-member Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. A core conversion, in particular, is a huge undertaking, and “it can be overwhelming ... to put all the training together and know where to start if you don’t have a plan in place and a team to execute that plan.”
On a related note, Jen Madden, AVP/talent development at $2.7 billion, 212,000-member Apple Federal Credit Union in Fairfax, Virginia, says other credit unions sometimes overlook training around technology initiatives “when the cost is too high and [they don’t] have the resources in house to create and deliver training themselves.”
In such cases, those credit unions often just “purchase the system hoping everyone will adapt and learn it on their own.”
Although at least somewhat understandable, don’t expect that tactic to result in a positive ROI for your organization. “If you’re too busy trying to focus on the transaction [or] how to use the system,” Madden offers, “you don’t have time to build the relationship, identify the member’s needs and wants, and provide the most effective solution.”
President/CEO of $1.3 billion, 45,000-member Firefighters First Credit Union, Los Angeles, CUES member Dixie Abramian, CME, CSE, puts it another way: “It costs more to lose a member than to invest in the training necessary to service them appropriately.”
Bryan Ochalla is a former editor of Credit Union Management who writes from Austin, Texas.
