When looking to grow your membership base, connecting with current and potential members is crucial. Recently, the credit union industry is seeing a shift in how members communicate. Technology offers numerous mediums through which members can reach out for assistance, and as these methods expand and are more readily available, one might expect to see a decline in more traditional methods like phone calls. Conversely, credit unions and partner contact centers are seeing record-setting call volumes.

But calls do not have to be one-way street; the same factors that drive members to call us should drive us to call members. With that in mind, the next time you think about stepping up your game when it comes to member engagement, consider these four points:

Personal touch

The importance of personally connecting with your members cannot be overstated. Something as simple as calling a new member and welcoming them can create a number of opportunities and lay the foundation for future conversations.

Providing personal contact to your members is crucial in developing a rapport and a long-term relationship. Members who are called feel more connected to their credit union and are statistically shown to be members longer and enroll in more offerings and services. It’s not unusual to have loyalty programs or retention policies to keep members engaged, but these are often a reactive step.

Clean your data

Regular contact with your members provides an opportunity to collect additional information and verify what you already have. The reduction of data duplication and redundancy can be felt in many areas, but perhaps the most in marketing. Constant maintenance of your members’ information allows for more effective communication or messaging. Creating segment campaigns in the future will be more focused and more effective when pulling from a premium database, leading to an increased return on investment.

Improve brand awareness

Building brand awareness never happens overnight, but an outbound call should be part of your equation. Simply giving a member a ring and having a friendly talk allows you to remind them of the already existing relationship they have with your credit union. Whether the call is welcoming a new member to the credit union, or informing them of new rates and special offers, it will help generate top-of-mind awareness in their daily lives.

Generate leads

As the industry sees a shift to a more retail mentality, having a dichotomous interaction is paramount for finding insights that might not have been found otherwise. Understanding the wants and needs of each individual member allows you to better focus your marketing campaigns. A call also creates a personal relationship with the person on the other end; this foundation can go a long way when generating sales leads. As these leads develop, additional outbound calls can be made to foster the relationship and generate new loans, investments, and consolidations.

Outbound call campaigns can add a new dynamic to how you interact with your members, both personalized and poignant. So when you’re looking for a new way to connect with your members, try an old classic: pick up the phone.