Diamond Credit Union Taps Vidyo to Give Members a Personalized Touch, Increasing Sales and Customer Satisfaction
Challenge
When Diamond Credit Union members traditionally visited a branch to inquire about a loan or mortgage, they were led to a designated area in a branch and used a telephone to speak with a remote specialist. While it was very successful, something was still missing.
“Members were coming into a branch expecting to see a person and we were directing them to a phone,” said Jim Daly, Vice President and Chief Information Officer. “Members felt, ‘Why did I need to come in when I could’ve done this from home?’”
Daly wanted members to have a warmer, more personal face-to-face experience with his staff, which would also give them the ability to see the member’s body language and reactions, and build greater rapport during the session. He believed a video solution could effectively address this.
%
Increase in sales of debt protection in 7 months
User rating out of a possible 5.0 after 2,200 sessions
–Chelsea Fry
Director of Retail Delivery
Diamond Credit Union
Challenge
When Diamond Credit Union members traditionally visited a branch to inquire about a loan or mortgage, they were led to a designated area in a branch and used a telephone to speak with a remote specialist. While it was very successful, something was still missing.
“Members were coming into a branch expecting to see a person and we were directing them to a phone,” said Jim Daly, Vice President and Chief Information Officer. “Members felt, ‘Why did I need to come in when I could’ve done this from home?’”
Daly wanted members to have a warmer, more personal face-to-face experience with his staff, which would also give them the ability to see the member’s body language and reactions, and build greater rapport during the session. He believed a video solution could effectively address this.
%
Increase in sales of debt protection in 7 months
User rating out of a possible 5.0 after 2,200 sessions
–Chelsea Fry
Director of Retail Delivery
Diamond Credit Union
Solution
After exploring available video vendors, Daly decided that Vidyo fit Diamond Credit Union’s business needs because it offered extremely high quality video without adding significant expense to his operation. Vidyo was straightforward to deploy and its Adoption Services team offered thorough training to Diamond’s call center staff who had only ever communicated with members over the phone.
Vidyo’s team worked very effectively with Diamond Credit Union’s project team. Vidyo integrated seamlessly with the company’s existing telephone system to create one centralized communications network. Vidyo’s team configured everything and offered onsite and virtual training. They trained the staff on such factors as how to sit before the camera and how to adjust the proper lighting for their respective areas. Management felt that it was important to educate the staff on what the Vidyo solution was going to mean to the company and how it was going to be very different from a phone call.
Today, when members visit a branch, they’re brought to a
video-enabled computer kiosk in a private room, where they speak to a staff member they see on a monitor. This helps create the warmer experience the credit union had sought and allows members to build a greater trust level with its staff.
Results
In just the first seven months of using the Vidyo solution, Diamond Credit Union conducted more than 2,200 video calls and received a member experience satisfaction rating of 4.93 (out of a possible 5.0).
According to Paul Yacobowsky, Director of Sales, the company saw a 12 percent increase in sales of debt protection products. He added, “We knew that we hadn’t done any additional training when it comes to debt protection, but we knew what we did add and that was Vidyo.”
Using the Vidyo solution “confirmed how important that personalized touch is,” according to Chelsea Fry, Director of Retail Delivery. “We always strive for that amazing member experience, and Vidyo’s solution has helped create an environment of excitement — and excitement is contagious. So with our staff able to share that with members, I feel it brings the member experience to a whole new level.”
Outside of member engagement, Yacobowsky explained that Diamond has used Vidyo to significantly enhance internal collaboration and training among its staff. They use it to engage in practice scenarios and role-play exercises with its retail and sales staff, helping them to continually improve their ability to deliver the type of service that its members expect. He added that they have also held after-hour staff meetings remotely via Vidyo instead of having its staff commute from their own branches to the main branch.
Future Opportunities
Diamond’s success with the Vidyo solution has management considering the potential that it can achieve with this new technology.
“One of the things that’s been most helpful is that we all entered into this eyes wide open,” Yacobowsky said. “We’ve all been very enthusiastic and we recognize that we have cutting-edge technology at our disposal. And I think that one of the things we’ve found is that we’re just scratching the surface. We’re looking not only to expand from our call center, but also to expand from a real estate standpoint so that members can come in and apply for a home loan via Vidyo.
“Imagine getting a mortgage using Vidyo. Applying for a business loan via Vidyo. Those are just some of the things I envision that the future holds for us and Vidyo.”