Three strategies for creating an experience they can never match: testimonials from credit unions

When you’re leading the customer service or customer experience team at a regional credit union, it can seem like the deck is stacked against you. If you’re trying to compete for new accounts and deposit growth against the digitally-native companies and the titans of the banking world, they would seem to have all the advantages on their side:

For megabanks:

• Widespread networks
• A more comprehensive and specialized menu of services
• Brand recognition

For neobanks:

• Lower overhead, which translates to higher rates and lower fees
• Financial accessibility, with low barriers to entry for anyone with internet access
• Rapid innovation with new products and services

And until the past year or so, these lists would have also included one additional advantage, which is (thankfully!) no longer applicable: advanced technology and a more user-friendly experience

With the dawning of the AI Era, even local and regional credit unions can now incorporate the most intelligent technology ever available for contact centers and digital member interactions. The experience members can be having with a credit union is now on par—and in many cases better—than what the biggest banks are offering. 

“We want to provide the kind of service that benefits our members’ lives, and that doesn’t get lost because we are behind the times on technology. AI is a huge part of that and gives us the ability to provide the same quality level of service to our members even if they’re not talking to us directly.” 
–Consumer Banking Director (University-affiliated credit union)

And here’s the kicker—operating in this way costs less than what most credit unions are spending today. Think about that. By moving toward the strategy of AI, credit unions are achieving a level of member service beyond anything in the past, while also operating significantly more efficiently. 

Welcome to 2026—it’s time to evolve your thinking about AI. 

Three AI strategy discussion starters for your next executive meeting

Are we mostly thinking about AI as just “a way to automate member interactions?”

For reluctant executives, this can be a scary thought, and it might sound like the wrong strategy for a membership-based organization. But that kind of thinking is too narrow and misguided. Using AI tools designed specifically for credit unions, there is now a wide range of applications beyond just “bots handling member needs without human assistance.” 

It’s not an all-or-nothing proposition. Live interactions by phone and chat may be reduced in number, but they’re never going away—and you don’t want them to. But are you considering how AI can now become a virtual assistant for each of your frontline team members—making their jobs more efficient and engaging? 

“On our frontline, my agents might have been extremely skeptical about AI at first, but once they see it and it’s in front of them and see that it’s easy to use, it’s helpful, it’s beneficial, and it’s there every single call helping, you get that buy-in really quickly. At this point, once you have it, you can’t go without it.” 
–Director, Customer Experience (Midwest-based credit union)

“For my agents, they can focus on the more difficult conversations, the stuff that needs human intervention. So to me, it’s all about making interacting with the organization even easier and more convenient than ever before.”
  –VP, Delivery Channels (Southeast-based credit union)

How can AI allow us to continue growing without adding costs?

One of the most unexpected benefits of AI is that automating some interactions and elevating the performance of the people who conduct the others is extraordinarily cost-effective. By—in many cases—doubling the capacity of the frontline contact center team, credit unions are now able to reinvest and redeploy some team members to higher-value outcomes. This kind of efficiency has only been a pipe dream in the past, but it’s a reality now. 

“We can’t continue to grow at the rate we’re growing and adding people at the same rate, or we’ll run ourselves out of business sooner or later. I need AI and automation to help us break that curve.”
–Chief Information and Innovation Officer (West Coast-based credit union)

“You can identify areas where perhaps before you might need three or four FTEs, but now with the technology that we have available, two might suffice. So you can use that excess FTE to be allocated to other areas of the credit union.”
–Chief Operating Officer (East Coast-based credit union)

What’s our true differentiator compared to our competitors?

Your mission as an organization is based on relationships, community building, personalized service, and high levels of member satisfaction. And by moving toward AI, you can achieve each of these outcomes in ways the big-name banks will never be able to match.

Every time a member contacts you, they are automatically presented with the exact right interaction type to match their need at that moment (the reason they’re interacting with you). Sometimes that’s an automated interaction that resolves their issue in seconds. Sometimes it’s a live agent whose performance and efficiency are being multiplied thanks to the virtual assistant who’s always at their side. But every time, it is an effortless experience—the kind that solidifies loyalty and lifetime value.

“The more I interact with the AI tools that I’m seeing in our virtual contact center and the efficiencies that they’re bringing. I’m excited by it, to be honest with you. I’m really excited for the impact on our members and the team.” 

–SVP, Chief Retail Officer (Northwest-based credit union)

“I’m very glad to be at this part in my career where we’ve advanced to this point. I could never have envisioned this when I first became a call center agent many years ago. This is just something I have never seen before, but it’s so amazing, right?” 
–Manager, Contact Center and Experience (New England-based credit union)

Your skills, amplified

How can you beat the megabanks and neobanks? By doing what you do best: building thriving communities through banking interactions. But now, being able to do so using technology that is equivalent to what they’re using, and at a cost that is lower than what your organization spent last year to serve your members. 

In an ultra-competitive marketplace, that’s how we win.