Florida Credit Union Measurably Increases Member Satisfaction and Employee Satisfaction with New Approach to Sales

OVERVIEW

Tropical Financial Credit Union is a not-for-profit, member-owned credit union based in South Florida. For over 80 years, Tropical Financial has made it their mission to “make South Florida a better place for friends and family.” Tropical Financial has earned the trust of 65,000 members in their community. They offer a variety of financial services and products to their members with a streamlined sales approach. Allied Solutions has partnered with Tropical Financial Credit Union since 1992. They expanded their partnership through Integrity Solutions six years ago.

OBJECTIVES

• Create a healthy sales culture based on ‘living our values’
• Measurably increase employee satisfaction and improve the culture
• Foster better communication between staff and members

CHALLENGES

Before partnering with Integrity Solutions, Tropical Financial recognized a need to enhance their culture and the member experience when it comes to selling. The credit union was looking for a resource to challenge the way their employees viewed the selling process. For Tropical to further develop their employees’ skills, they needed a method to measure the success of their sales team. They also saw an opportunity to improve the member experience by changing the cultural perspective around selling and coaching. “We needed something to solidify the view of selling within the organization. Before Integrity Solutions, the perception of selling wasn’t positive or always well received by employees. We lacked structure regarding how to approach sales, how to better focus on the member, and clarity around how sales align with our core values.” Elizabeth Jimenez, Vice President of Human Resources and Organization Development

SOLUTIONS

Allied identified through their team’s ongoing consulting that Tropical had a goal to strengthen their sales team and transform the culture. Two original Integrity solutions were implemented by Tropical Financial, Integrity Coaching© and The Member Advantage™. These programs plus several others have since been incorporated into the overall employee training curriculum at Tropical. The entire organization, from the front office staff to senior-level leaders, participate in Integrity Solutions training. Unlike other training in the past, Tropical’s team feels that this training builds confidence by educating each individual on their skills and abilities, and also confirms how they contribute to the success of the organization. Next, employees learn how to create value for members by confidently identifying their needs and offering the appropriate product or service to meet those needs and add value to the relationship. Employees at Tropical have responded well to the cultural changes. “Before Integrity Solutions, coaching our employees had a negative connotation. Integrity Solutions’ modules are user-friendly, manageable, and aren’t overwhelming for people new to coaching or the training process. The Integrity Solutions facilitators were great at engaging our associates, they let them talk through and really experience the process.” Says Brian Burress, Vice President of Tropical Financial Credit Union.

IMPACT

The impact that Integrity Solutions has made on Tropical FCU becomes more evident as part of the organization’s identity each year. Since implementing Integrity Solutions, Tropical Financial has seen an increase in employee satisfaction, a reduction in turnover, improved collaboration across departments, and has gained the ability to track the success of their sales team.

Amy McGraw, Vice President of Marketing and Chief Experience Officer, believes that Integrity Solutions has made a significant impact on their culture. By introducing The Member Advantage™, employees are now equipped to collaborate and listen to member’s needs in a way that didn’t exist before Integrity Solutions. “From the standpoint of someone who hasn’t gone through sales training, having Integrity Solutions as a part of our culture has made a huge difference in how we interact, how we understand each other, and how we work together on a day to day basis,” says McGraw. Tropical conducted an employee satisfaction survey that resulted in 85% job satisfaction in Employees at Tropical now feel valued by their managers because of the Integrity Coaching that takes leadership development to the next level.

“Tropical is an accommodating and pleasant environment to work at now. Creating the right environment is the first step to getting anywhere,” says Richard Helber, CEO of Tropical Financial Credit Union. The cultural impact of Integrity Coaching has impacted associates from senior leadership to loan officers.

Tropical utilizes a Net Promoter Score to determine the level of loyalty their members have with their credit union. Post Integrity, they received a Net Promoter Score of 85 while the financial services and banking industry maintains an average score of 35. Integrity Solutions has had a direct impact on the members that Tropical serves. “Integrity Solutions gives people the confidence to speak in front of others and take their careers to the next level,” says Burress. Members gain a better service experience when employees are confident and passionate about serving them.

Tropical credits Allied Solutions for successfully choosing Integrity Solutions as their partner for this important initiative. “We had a situation where we had two similar programs offered by different companies, and it came down to the fact that Allied is transparent and tells us the truth about their solutions. We pay attention to solutions that Allied offers because of the trusting relationship that has been built over the years,” says McGraw. Tropical Financial has leveraged the coaching and leadership principles of Integrity Solutions to achieve their objective of improving the culture and expanding their impact on the South Florida community.

Results