NORCROSS, Ga. — Associated CU has added eight points to its Net Promoter Score by having staff watch TV once a week.
Every Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. employees gather around TVs and pay attention to PC monitors to get the weekly dose of training. The $1.3 billion CU has incorporated video conferencing to improve delivery of its new product education and operational training programs. "We had been getting together once a week as an entire team at one location," said Mark Waller, EVP and COO at the $1.3 billion CU that's home to more than 300 employees working out of 28 offices around metro Atlanta and Augusta, Ga.
"That was time consuming, incurred transportation costs, and I am not sure how effective it really was."
Waller said it was always difficult to get everyone to attend and it took staff away from the front line for too long. "We knew we needed to revamp training and incorporate new technology so branches and main office employees could receive consistent training simultaneously."
In May 2012 the CU introduced the video conferencing system. Waller said not only is it more convenient and effective, it allows the credit union's subject matter experts to broadcast training sessions to branches in real time.
"When branch associates ask a question or want to contribute to a discussion, they can do so on camera making training virtually face-to-face."
The broadcasts are easily archived for employees to revisit or view if they miss a session. "That makes a refresher a lot more effective than text on a Word document, which is what we had in the past," noted Waller.
Waller said the program this year has made staff more proficient in compliance matters, more knowledge about products and better at member service. "The results speak for themselves. Our Net Promoter Score went from 63 to 71, a significant jump."
With the credit union now moving more staff through training on a regular basis, Waller said Associated is able to test employees' knowledge more often and document results, which helps with audits. "Bottom line is we cover more topics that affect multiple departments and job functions in a shorter amount of time," said Waller.
Workplace surveys show staff now have a better grasp of the business, with 36% more employees saying they feel more informed about important company decisions than they were before the new televised educational methods were used.
