The Summit Federal Credit Union’s Job Coach Certification program is designed to support new, member-facing employees through a structured and comprehensive onboarding and development process. The program ensures a smooth transition into their roles, increases accuracy, and accelerates the path to full proficiency.
Key components include specialized training for new and existing Job Coaches and a dedicated Job Coach assigned to each new employee to provide personalized guidance, training, and feedback.
Program Details
In this program, managers identify people in their branch or member service center (MSC) who possess the skills and qualities to effectively coach and assist with onboarding a new employee. Some of the skills and qualities managers look for in highly successful candidates are extensive operational and product knowledge, emotional intelligence, and demonstration of team values.
Once identified, that person attends a one-day certification program, which covers the purpose of the Job Coach, role requirements and expectations, and a review of the onboarding process from start to finish. Participants also are provided with best practices regarding the sharing of constructive feedback. Participants then are broken into groups to conduct peer-to-peer skill practice to become more comfortable with that aspect of the Job Coaching role. Prospective Job Coaches are required to take and pass skill drills with at least an 80 percent grade in order to become certified.
Job Coaches have quarterly “touch bases” with each other and the Training department throughout the year to review any procedural changes, gather feedback, share best practices, and discuss any challenges and solutions.
Employees receive one-on-one coaching, regular check-ins, and ongoing support from their trained Job Coach. Continued mentoring is available until the employee reaches their predefined proficiency level and successfully completes skill drills.
The facilitator provides updates to the employee’s manager and Job Coach each week of the training. This collaborative communication is key to ensuring all key stakeholders are tracking employees’ progress and development.
For new employees, this program serves as a bridge between classroom training and working in the branch or the MSC. New employees feel supported through their first days on the job. After passing the skill drill, they evaluate their Job Coach and provide feedback about their overall experience in the program.
For the Job Coach, it is an opportunity to share their experiences, hone their own leadership skills, and grow in their role. Job Coaches receive a monetary incentive for their participation after the employee they are coaching successfully passes the skill drill.
Results
Of the 40 new hires who took the skill drill test, 38 passed on their first attempt. While the skill drill passing grade is 80 percent, the average score was 88 percent in 2023 and increased to 89 percent in 2024.
This training also has resulted in an increase in the employee retention rate, from 86.01 percent in 2023 to 88.28 percent in 2024.
In addition, the coaching helps employees provide an exceptional level of service. In 2024, The Summit Federal Credit Union’s Member XP experience survey achieved a total Net Promoter Score of 83.77 percent (vs. a goal of 79.5 percent) and a total experience score of 4.84 (vs. a goal of 4.79).
