Credit Union Correspondence

Today you will find many different types of credit union correspondence offered. In the past, all you got from them was monthly statements and perhaps payment reminders. Today you can get alerts about your accounts so that you always know what is going on with them. You can also go online and review all of your transactions for your account. This is a terrific way to be able to keep up on what it going on with it between your statements.

Of course all of this doesn’t mean that old fashioned means of correspondence are no longer considered. You can always walk into your credit union and discuss your account with them. Pick up the phone and give them a call to ask questions and to stay well informed about certain things. Keep in mind that over the phone you may need to provide some type of verification about your identity. This is for security purposes so that your account information isn’t given out due to false pretenses.

You can also conduct credit union correspondence though the mail if you like. There may be written documentation you need to obtain for your records or some form of verifications. Such letters should specific what you need, where to send it, and the accounts you need information about. That will assist them in getting it all right to you in a short period of time.

In some instances it is possible to do the correspondence through email on their website. This can be a feature that works well for those that can’t contact the credit union during normal business hours. For essential credit union correspondence not everyone has a job where they can just pick up the phone and discuss an account for a few minutes.

Most of the time the email response will be received within 24 hours. At the very least an automated message will be offered that lets the customer know that their inquiry has been received. If there is a ticketing system then a reference number of that email can be provided as well.

Of course most people want to have access to credit union correspondence when it fits into their schedule. This is why the online access is so successful. People can log into their account any time of the day or the night. They can also do so when the credit union is closed on the weekends. It may be possible to make payments online as well which is definitely a benefit for customers. The more features that the credit union can offer the easier it will be to offer something every customer can benefit from.

With the technology we have today, credit union correspondence is able to better help customers stay on track with their accounts. What each entity will offer though can vary so make sure you look into this. Some of them charge monthly fees for these services but most of them do it for free. It is a way to give something of value back to their much appreciated customers.

I am pleased to see the title Chief Brand Officer (CBO) appear with increasing frequency.  In many cases I am sure there is little distinction in the role this person is playing from that of a Chief Marketing Officer.  That said, I still like the trend.

While, at most financial institutions, product promotions will occur at some frequency through some select channels, brand is "hopefully" always present.  In many cases, however, brand is not being managed consistently across all channels.  The branch and brochure-ware may have received an appropriate level of attention in many cases, but websites, ATMs, and customer correspondence can fall very short.  It may be time to leapfrog to the next level in branding. 

Affinity branding, loosely referred to as personal branding, is becoming much more popular of recent.  We're seeing more banks that specialize in affinity groups, such as attorneys, doctors, and other professionals to target an audience.  Credit Unions by their nature start out as an affinity brand; educators, military, corporate, etc.  These affinity brands are siloed and, while creating a strong bond with a particular segment, they do not allow for broad growth.

When you fully apply brand at a personal level you eliminate silos.  The ability to apply customer specific or customer selected options to their brand recognition of your institution you are creating the strongest affinity possible.

Regardless if you are a CBO, CMO, Marketing Manager, head of Retail, or a Marketing Assistant, always maintain a focus on your brand, not just your marketing promotions.  You will be rewarded with more and stronger customer relationships.