A plan to reduce call center hold times, promote high performing employees and improve overall company culture has earned GTE Financial a CUNA Operations & Member Experience Council’s 2017 Excellence Award. The award recognizes credit unions that develop innovative solutions to problems impacting member experience and internal support operations.
“We’re extremely happy and humbled to receive this award from CUNA,” said Scott DeThomas, Chief Experience Officer at GTE Financial. “We strive to meet the expectations of our members and employees and falling short of that goal is not an option,” DeThomas added. “We take to heart the feedback we receive, and we find ways to develop solutions for our members and nurture our associates to help them grow.”
One year ago, the Member Care department at the Tampa-based credit union faced numerous challenges, such as call center hold times and call abandon rates. Now, GTE’s average hold time has decreased from 4 minutes to 1 minute and call abandon rate has gone down from 16.07% to 7.48%. These significant changes have been made possible because the department as a whole meets on a quarterly bases with all employees to discuss where the credit union is in that moment and where it is headed. These quarterly meetings have assisted leadership in gathering feedback on what GTE can do differently.
The winning entry by GTE Financial titled, “Improve the Member Experience,” earned the award in Contact Center/ E-Support Operations and the assets greater than $500 million category. GTE Financial attributes its win to building an impressive Member Care department that boasts a culture of free-thinking and a place where other company associates strive to enter. The credit union was honored alongside its respected peers at the 20th Annual conference awards presentation in Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix.
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About GTE Financial
GTE Financial is a not-for-profit financial cooperative with more than $1.8 billion in assets and 22 Community Financial Centers located throughout West Central, Florida. Chartered in 1935, GTE Financial is locally owned and operated in the Tampa Bay area and serves more than 255,000 individuals and businesses. More information on GTE Financial can be found at www.gtefinancial.org.