Staffing a New Branch in the New Year?

This is bonus coverage from "Fab Facilities" coming up in the January 2018 issue of CUES' Credit Union Management magazine.

With the effort required for creating a newly transformed branch, taking the final step of equipping staff can’t be taken lightly. Understanding how the experience should optimize the member interaction is a critical step in completing the process.

“The people aspect can sometimes be overlooked and left to chance,” says Darin Moody, CEO of $338 million Utah First Federal Credit Union, South Jordan, Utah. “When this happens, the transformation (or technology) can often fail, as people revert to their old ways.”

To ensure its new branch (and others going forward) would succeed, Utah First FCU partnered with DBSI, leveraging its Delivery Defined program. During a collaborative multi-day workshop, the operational intent—the why an element is in a branch; talk tracks—guiding bullet points and things to say in various parts of the branch; transitions—storyboard diagrams to help staff decide what should be done in a particular member interaction scenario; and choreography—the specific action to take—were developed, culminating with in-branch training and role-playing for staff.

Deciding upon an open branch concept, the CU moved to having universal, cross-trained financial experts. In this branch, the member receives an improved experience, and employees benefit from more opportunities for personal growth, skill development, financial rewards and professional growth within the CU.

Creating the space wasn’t enough.

Transforming the way staff interacts with members became the differentiator for Utah First FCU. With a focus on service delivery, which included intensive yet fun staff collaboration sessions before the branch opened, staff were able to gain a greater understanding of each new element and how to interact with members throughout the branch journey.

Stephanie Schwenn Sebring established and managed the marketing departments for three CUs and served in mentorship roles before launching her business. As owner of Fab Prose & Professional Writing, she assists CUs, industry suppliers, and any company wanting great content and a clear brand voice. Follow her on Twitter @fabprose.

Also read “Teller-less Staffing” and “Branch Cost Considerations.”