Ascend Federal Credit Union conducted Service Recovery Training for 100 percent of its employees to ensure they prioritize service to deliver memorable member experiences, regardless of their role.
Each interaction Ascend employees engage in has an impact on the brand, and emotions are often at the heart of how the experience is remembered. Maintaining service levels is critical in achieving member loyalty at Ascend.
The credit union’s ideology of people helping people is a driving force of its culture. Not only does every employee have the opportunity to promote Ascend and be an ambassador of the brand, they also have the responsibility to serve one another in the same manner they would serve a member.
Program Details
The training offered both in-person and virtual sessions tailored to each employee’s role. Previously, Ascend relied on a single delivery method, but this new hybrid model revolutionized the program. In-person sessions created a collaborative environment where employees exchanged valuable insights and learned from peers in similar roles through open dialogue and interactive discussions. Meanwhile, virtual sessions empowered employees across the organization to explore the content from their unique perspectives, gaining a deeper understanding of how each business unit contributes to the credit union’s mission.
Additionally, for the first time, Ascend introduced a self-reflection and assessment activity, enabling employees to gain profound insights into their reactions to service and conflict management.
The content the training delivered was relevant to the position the employee serves as it relates to service recovery. This ensured activities and discussions were easily correlated to the employee’s daily tasks. Additionally, managers attended separate sessions with content related to the leadership skills necessary for coaching and holding employees accountable for the service standards that accompany their roles.
The facilitator and participants explored a service recovery model, addressed conflict management styles, and developed a sense of accountability to solve any issues that arise. Participants discussed and explored the impact emotions have on daily interactions, and how those in the financial services industry serve others in emotionally charged situations. Where emotions exist, so must empathy. Activities encouraged participants to identify and share past experiences where empathy was shown, and discussion was facilitated on how this could be used in other areas.
For employees serving in a sales role, an additional focus was placed on member-centric selling utilizing “the sales process” method of preparation, connection, understanding, recommendation, commitment, and action. To reinforce the sales process, participants examined real-life scenarios and offered recommendations to best fit individuals’ needs. Role-playing helped employees elevate the member and empathize with their needs in every step of the process. The program’s focus on creating memorable experiences ensures Ascend employees are dedicated and prepared to serve others in a way that builds brand loyalty from inside the organization out.
Long-term reinforcement of the training occurs through coaching discussions with management. Service delivery was added to employees’ semi-annual evaluations as a measurement of their overall performance. In the self-reflection portion of their evaluation, employees were asked to describe how they delivered on this core value during the performance period. In addition, service-related courses now are assigned annually as part of the required training to further support this initiative.
Results
The credit union’s member engagement survey conducted by a third-party determined issues were resolved in a timely manner with a rating of 9.52 out of 10 in the Contact Center delivery channel and a rating of 9.47 out of 10 in the branch delivery channel.
Ascend achieved Net Promoter Score growth of 10.2 percent in its membership base in 2024. This can be attributed to member loyalty and service satisfaction on service recovery and product recommendation training. Ascend achieved an organizational Net Promoter Score of 74.42 percent, above its goal for 2024.
