CCU Earns CUNA Technology Council Excellence Award
Waukegan, IL, September 30, 2014: Consumers Credit Union (CCU; $610 M. Waukegan, IL) recently earned national recognition at the 2014 Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Technology Council Conference held September 21 - 24 in Las Vegas, NV. CCU was one of five credit unions recognized for technology innovation at the conference. The Member-owned credit union developed and implemented an interactive experience for Members coming into the branch that connects to CCU's centralized team of Member Experience Advisors. This new process provides several benefits to Members, most notably improved service and reduced wait-times.
"Consumers Credit Union is extremely proud to earn the CUNA Technology Council Excellence Award," said Sean M. Rathjen, President/CEO. "This product provides an innovative new way to leverage technology to better serve Members. By centralizing new account openings, Members enjoy a more consistent experience in every branch. That translates into better service as well as shorter wait times. This exciting process will allow the credit union to better serve all Members as we continue to grow. Congratulations to our technology staff, branch operations, sales and lending teams for working together for the benefit of our Members!"
One factor that makes CCU's solution unique is the integration of video into the process. Members opening accounts in a branch are connected to a live agent in the local centralized office, providing the opportunity for Members to conduct business with the same friendly faces they're accustomed to seeing. CCU has four of its six branches using the new solution, with the other two scheduled to transition by year end. All Online and phone applications are also served by the centralized sales team, assuring the Members receive a better and more consistent experience in all channels. "Our long term goal is to expand our video solution so Members can have the same experience at home as they do visiting one of our office locations," continued Rathjen.
John Madsen, CCU's VP of Technology, accepted the award on behalf of the credit union. Criteria for earning the award include ideas that improve Member service and convenience, demonstrate leadership, improve technology infrastructure, information security and privacy, provide sales management and marketing automation or otherwise improve operations. According to Madsen, "Our solution fits several of the criteria. We're especially proud that we earned the award in the Member Service and Convenience category, as this is a great new way for technology to help us better serve the needs of our Members."
A picture of Madsen with the award at the CUNA Technology Council Conference is attached below. For more information about the award, please contact Sean Rathjen, President/CEO, at 847.782.4670. Consumers Credit Union is Member-owned with offices in Waukegan, Mundelein, Round Lake Beach, Gurnee, North Waukegan and now in Volo . . . and online at www.myconsumers.org.
The five awards recipients are (left to right) …
Adele Glenn, San Antonio Credit Union, Texas; John Madsen, Consumers Credit Union, Illinois; David Thibodeau, Workers Credit Union, Massachusetts; Lee Christiansen, Mountain America Credit Union, Utah; Corina Fournier, Service Credit Union, New Hampshire.