What BECU Teaches Us About Modern Credit Union Branch Strategy
What BECU Teaches Us About Modern Credit Union Branch Strategy [Updated May 2025] Even in a digital-first world, members still want the option to visit a branch—especially when they need advice, support, or help with big financial decisions. That’s the big takeaway from a recent interview with BECU, one of the largest credit unions in the U.S., about how their branch strategy is evolving. While some financial institutions are closing locations, BECU is growing—and doing it in a smarter, more flexible way. At Better Lobby, we believe their approach is a great example of what modern branch management can look like. Here’s what credit unions can learn. Modern Credit Union Branch Strategy: Members Still Want In-Person Help According to BECU, most members don’t come into the branch for simple transactions anymore. That’s what mobile apps are for. But when a member wants financial advice, help with a mortgage, or investment services, they still prefer to talk to a real person. BECU branches aren’t built around tellers. Instead, they’re staffed with financial consultants who focus on higher-value conversations. Routine services are handled digitally, while the branch becomes a space for deeper member relationships. ✅ How Better Lobby helps:Use appointment scheduling tools to match members with the right staff, whether they need loan guidance, retirement advice, or account help. 📅 Appointments Are Key During the pandemic, BECU saw a 400% increase in member appointments. That trend hasn’t slowed down. Members of all ages are booking time with staff for more complex needs—and they appreciate the ability to plan their visit instead of waiting in line. ✅ How Better Lobby helps:With our mobile-friendly appointment booking, members can schedule in-person, phone, or video meetings—on their own time. Staff can prepare in advance using visit history tools to offer better service. 🏗️ Branches Still Matter—But They Must Evolve Despite the rise in digital banking, BECU members are asking for more branches—not fewer. What they’re really asking for is access to great service when and where they need it. This doesn’t mean going back to traditional teller windows. It means building branches that support consultative service, offer a welcoming experience, and use smart tools to manage flow and staffing. ✅ How Better Lobby helps: Use our self check-in kiosks or QR code check-in to reduce front desk congestion Let members join the queue online so their wait time starts before they arrive Display real-time queue info with Wall Display modules for transparency and fairness Modern Credit Union Branch Strategy: Flexibility Is the Future BECU shows that credit unions don’t have to choose between digital and in-person service. The real power comes from combining both—letting digital tools free up staff to focus on what matters most: building strong, personal relationships. Better Lobby gives you everything you need to support this shift—from appointment booking and queue management to staff performance tracking and kiosk integration. If you’re looking to modernize your branch strategy while staying true to your member-first mission, we’re here to help. BECU On The Changing Strategies For Credit Union Branches How Better Lobby Modules Help Credit Union Members Every Step of the Way Credit union members don’t want to waste time waiting in line or wondering who can help them. They want clear options, fast service, and real human support when they need it. That’s where Better Lobby’s modules make a big difference. Each part of the Better Lobby platform is designed to help members have a smooth, organized, and friendly experience—whether they’re visiting in person, calling in, or joining a video meeting. Let’s break it down: 📅 Appointment Scheduling (Online & Staff-Side) What it does:Lets members book appointments online 24/7, or allows staff to book for them. Why members love it: No more guessing when to come in They get to meet with the right person at a time that works for them It shows that your credit union values their time 🧍 Kiosk Check-In (Physical & QR Code) What it does:Members check in on a touchscreen or by scanning a QR code on their phone. Why members love it: Fast and easy check-in process Reduces lines at the front desk Great for members who want a contactless experience ⌛ Online Queuing What it does:Lets members join a queue from home or their phone, before entering the branch. Why members love it: Their travel time becomes their wait time They can time their visit to avoid long lines It’s like having a digital “take-a-number” system that works anywhere 🖥️ Wall Display What it does:Shows queue order and wait times on a screen inside the branch. Why members love it: They can see where they are in line It prevents people from thinking someone “cut” in line Creates a more fair and transparent experience 🎥 Video Meeting Module What it does:Offers secure, scheduled video meetings between members and credit union staff. Why members love it: Great for busy or remote members No need to come into a branch for questions or consultations Members still talk to a real person, just online 📊 Survey Trigger Module What it does:Sends surveys after a visit using your credit union’s survey software. Why members love it: They feel heard and valued Feedback helps improve future service It gives members a voice 🧠 Member Visit History What it does:Tracks why a member visited, who helped them, and what was discussed. Why members love it: They don’t have to repeat themselves every time Staff already knows their needs and history It makes every visit feel personal and professional Final Thoughts: A Better Experience, Built-In Every module in Better Lobby is built with one goal: make the credit union experience better for members. Whether they’re walking into a branch, calling for advice, or meeting online, Better Lobby helps credit unions stay organized, responsive, and member-focused. That’s Modern Credit Union Branch Strategy. Want to learn how these tools work together to create a modern, friendly branch experience? We’re here to help. The following section is the original post from
Personalized services VERSUS personal interactions
What Credit Unions Can Learn from 4 Key Banking Trends [Updated May 2025] The world of banking is changing—and fast. But not all the change is digital. A new global report shows 4 Key Banking Trends that while members use mobile apps and digital tools more than ever, they still want human service, physical branches, and personalized advice. At Better Lobby, we believe this is good news for credit unions. You already focus on relationships, community, and member-first service. The key is having the right tools to deliver that experience efficiently and consistently—both online and in-branch. Here are four major trends from the EPAM Consumer Banking Report 2021 and what they mean for credit unions using Better Lobby. What are the 4 Key Banking Trends? 1. 🤝 People Want Personal, Not Just Personalized Many banks focus on automation, chatbots, and self-service tools and call that “personalization.” But according to the report, what people actually want is real human interaction. In fact, 34% of members surveyed said they want more personal interaction with their financial institution—not less. ✅ What this means for credit unions:You don’t need to replace personal service—you need to support it. Better Lobby helps by: Allowing members to book appointments with specific staff Showing staff photos, bios, and service types during scheduling Making it easy to have a face-to-face, phone, or video conversation Recording visit history so members don’t have to repeat themselves 2. 🏦 Branches Aren’t Dying—They’re Evolving Think branches are outdated? Think again. According to the study, U.S. consumers expect to visit their credit union branch more than 40 times a year. And younger generations agree—30% of Gen Z said branches have become more important to them since the pandemic. ✅ How Better Lobby helps: Offers self check-in kiosks or QR code check-ins to reduce front desk bottlenecks Lets members join a queue before arriving—turning travel time into wait time Displays queue positions on Wall Displays to keep visits fair and transparent Branches aren’t going away—they just need to be smarter, faster, and easier to navigate. 3. 🧑🎓 Gen Z Wants Advice, Education, and Engagement Gen Z may be tech-savvy, but they also want real financial guidance. According to the report: 46% would visit a branch to drop in for financial advice 40% want branches to offer financial education sessions 61% want their credit union to offer help managing money ✅ Better Lobby makes this easy: Staff can schedule advice sessions and prepare with the member’s visit history Branches can run financial education workshops using our appointment tool to manage attendance Staff can track member needs over time with our Cross-Selling and Visit Notes tools 4. 💡 Members Use Multiple Services—But Stay for the Experience The study found that 36% of consumers prefer using different financial providers for different needs—but most still stay loyal to one main credit union or bank. Why? Trust, security, and a good member experience. ✅ With Better Lobby, you can strengthen that loyalty by: Keeping visits smooth and organized Making it easy to access help from the right person Giving staff the tools to deliver memorable service every time When service is fast, personal, and helpful, members are more likely to stick with you—even if they explore other apps or platforms. Final Thoughts about 4 Key Banking Trends This new data shows that credit unions are already well-positioned for the future—members want connection, not just convenience. But delivering that consistently requires tools that combine efficiency and personalization. Better Lobby gives your credit union everything you need to: Improve the in-branch experience Serve members faster Offer real human support—on their schedule Meet Gen Z’s need for guidance and education And reduce wait times without sacrificing service quality The following section is the original post from November 2021. While some product names and screenshots may be outdated, we’ve kept it here for historical reference. Want to align your branch strategy with these trends? Let’s talk about how Better Lobby can help. The findings of a big new study by EPAM Systems states that FIs are overconcerned with providing personalized services – when in reality people actually want personal interactions. The report concludes that “interacting in a real-time way with another human being — that’s a service that consumers indicate they are interested in.” Their survey results back up these conclusions: • American banking consumers expect to visit their branch more than 40 times a year going forward. • Gen Z respondents said access to a physical branch had become more important to them in the past year, especially as Covid-19 forced branches to close temporarily. Key Takeaway: Digital services play a very important role in the modern banking landscape, but they may not be as effective as CUs think for genuinely taking care of member needs. In fact, many members are looking to their local branch as a place for more personal interactions regarding their finances.
Redefine the Branch Experience
Research continues to show that most Americans still prefer branches for more complex financial needs and advice. The consensus among industry observers is that branches must quickly transition away from transactions to become centers of advice and sales. In order to make this transition, your branch staff will need the latest technology and tools that will empower them to better engage with members. One tool that helps deliver higher levels of service is texting. Americans of all ages enjoy and use texting on a daily basis for quick communication. We have developed texting tools that your members will appreciate, e.g., Text Me When I am Soon to be Served; Parking Lot Check-in via text; and Notify Now that permits your staff to text waiting visitors that it is their turn for service. Key Takeaway: Redefining the branch experience demands innovative software. This is our reason for being: providing innovative, affordable software solutions that help CUs deliver the highest standard of service.
What Matters Most When Selecting a New FI
Surprisingly, even among younger consumers, digital and mobile banking is not one of the top-three reasons for selecting a new FI. A study completed in October 2019 by Market Street Research for the New England Financial Marketing Association found that top 2 factors in choosing a new FI were: Fees Convenient branches It has never been more important than now to make it easy to open new accounts, and accepting appointments helps deliver a more streamlined and convenient branch service experience to both new and existing members. Key Takeaway: Convenient branches continues to come out near the top in study after study of all demographics when it comes to selecting an FI.
Branches Drive New Business
According to the World Branch Report, three out of five (60{91edff4ab0179c213d4d62ccb73735ad51d636906a6f58336791bd911b76df7b}) retail banking executives say the branch is their leading sales channel — counting account opening, credit cards, insurance, investments, and loans. While overall branch transactions and visits are down, the fact remains that branch visits continue to produce the largest proportion of loan and other new business. However as research firm Novantas points out, visitors demand quality conversations when they make the effort to come into a branch. One way to ensure quality visits is to offer appointments so that branch staff are adequately prepared for every visit. Plus, appointments help increase branch sales success by reminding visitors to bring the information necessary to the meeting. Key Takeaway: To help increase use of appointment scheduling software, Novantas suggests promoting the idea to consumers that they will get better service with the right professional by scheduling.
Consumers still turning to branches to open new accounts
When it comes to opening new accounts, consumers still tend to trust the branch over digital channels, according to a new study from Forrester Research. It turns out that while the digital channels remain important, the ongoing importance of a human touch cannot be ignored. Seventy-one percent of U.S. adults who regularly use the Internet still go to a branch when opening a new checking account, the Forrester study observed. For savings accounts, 64{91edff4ab0179c213d4d62ccb73735ad51d636906a6f58336791bd911b76df7b} go to a branch, while 53{91edff4ab0179c213d4d62ccb73735ad51d636906a6f58336791bd911b76df7b} open certificates of deposit at branches. Key Takeaway: Without a doubt, credit unions of the future will only prosper with human touch member service.
Why tech-savvy members still visit branches
About three-quarters of Gen Y (73.4 percent) have visited a branch to open an account, according to a J.D. Power retail banking study. Moreover, about 60 percent of younger adults told the research firm that they have visited the branch within the last three months. And according to a 2018 Gallup survey, 66 percent of millennials had visited a brick-and-mortar branch in the previous six months. These facts come from a Bankrate article that also uses an interesting term: IRL (in real life) banking. When it comes serious financial interactions such as mortgages, financial consultations, business startup advice, etc., it turns out that even the most tech savvy people prefer a branch visit. Key Takeaway: When your members seek monetary advice or need to discuss complex financial needs, one of the best ways to satisfy this need is to offer them a convenient digital appointment booking option. CUs that offer appointments to help satisfy IRL banking needs can also make better use of specialized employees that float between branches, who can now potentially see more members within a day.
Tracking Branch Activities
Bob Meara, Senior Analyst at research firm Celent, says “if you ask branch bankers about the details of their teller transactions, they can wax eloquent about those metrics.” What is less-often tracked and measured, Meara finds, are factors of current branch activity that relate to what many regard as the increasingly dominant role of branches, as sales and service locations, and regarding the quality of the visitor experience. Better Lobby can help in this regard because it captures a wide variety of critical branch metrics that are important to management – metrics that are completely invisible to CUs that do not have a visitor management platform in place. Key Takeaway: Our Main Service Queue can fill in the gaps when it comes to knowing what’s going on in your branches, while our Survey Trigger module can help you obtain accurate and timely responses from your members about the quality of their visit when their branch visit is still fresh in their minds.
Consumers Happier Using Branch+Digital Than Digital Only
Data from recent J.D. Power & Associates research confirms that the most satisfied banking consumers are those who regularly use branches and also use digital channels. The author of the report points out that “Millennials are coming back into the branches as they grow older and their financial needs become more sophisticated.” Credit unions looking to meet the financial needs of their members would be well advised to offer the convenience of online and mobile appointment booking capabilities to their busy members. Key Takeaway: Digital and branch capabilities are very much married and credit unions can use appointments to forge stronger member connections and keep this digital/branch marriage strong and thriving.
Generation Z and Branches
GenerationZ — folks born after 1996 — will be the most diverse generation in the U.S. by2020, and at their peak will hold some $143 billion in purchasing power. Tolearn more about this generation, UNiDAYS polled 1,000 Gen Zers to see how theyfeel about money. They found two interesting facts – one quite obvious (95{91edff4ab0179c213d4d62ccb73735ad51d636906a6f58336791bd911b76df7b} of those surveyed use their phoneexclusively to access their account) and one more surprising to many people (45{91edff4ab0179c213d4d62ccb73735ad51d636906a6f58336791bd911b76df7b}of those surveyed are hesitant to open an account with an online-only bank; 70{91edff4ab0179c213d4d62ccb73735ad51d636906a6f58336791bd911b76df7b}of those say it’s because they want a physical branch location). Key Takeaway: Credit unions looking tocater to Gen Zers must find a way to merge the two worlds of the mobile and thebranch since both of them highly desired by many young people. We believe onekey way to build this bridge is by allowing them to book branch appointments with your staff via their mobile devices.
What do Millennials want from their FIs?
In a recent Forbes Magazine article Sebastian Rymarz, Chief Business Officer for Fundbox, postulates that consumers, especially Millennials, want the following items from their FI: less friction and more help personal attention the customized service they’re used to getting when they’re logged in on their devices to carry over to their in-branch experience One way to meet all three of these needs (and others as well) is by allowing your members to book appointments with you on their mobile devices and PCs/laptops. Key Takeaway:Our Mobile Appointment Booking Tool facilitates personalized service and provides a perfect complement to your mobile and online banking systems.
Across Generations, Consumers Prefer the Branch for Financial Advice
Consumers are happy with digital interactions for quick transactions, but for more substantive conversations they’d rather deal with humans, according to new research commissioned by Samsung. However, the study added a caveat: a poor branch experience can keep consumers away, or even make them consider switching to another institution. Here are the top consumer complaints from the survey, accompanied by one of our solutions that helps address that particular complaint: unprepared banking associates (68 percent) – Better Lobby Main Service Queue and Kiosk long wait times (55 percent) – Better Lobby Mobile Appointment Booking Tool impersonal service (49 percent) – Better Lobby Main Service Queue unavailability of specialists (43 percent) – Better Lobby Video Meeting Queue Module Key Takeaway: The Better Lobby Solution helps management address ALL of the complaints listed by members; while contributing to outstanding member service and building visitor trust.
Digital Interactions Are Fine, to a Point
Two surveys, done by New York-based financial services research and advisory firm Celent in February and released this month, asked over 2,300 U.S. adults when, how and why they want face-to-face interactions with their financial institutions. The surveys found that the majority (55{91edff4ab0179c213d4d62ccb73735ad51d636906a6f58336791bd911b76df7b}) wanted in-person interactions when they felt a conversation was necessary, and 77{91edff4ab0179c213d4d62ccb73735ad51d636906a6f58336791bd911b76df7b} wanted face-to-face engagement for “substantive conversations,” including for things such as getting advice, setting goals or applying for a new loan or account. Notably, even 93{91edff4ab0179c213d4d62ccb73735ad51d636906a6f58336791bd911b76df7b} of millennials in the surveys said they preferred some things to be handled in person. Plus, according to the survey data, a poor branch experience was the most likely reason respondents said they would switch financial institutions. Creating a positive branch experience has been Better Branches mission since our inception in 2003. Our Better Lobby solution supports both visitor Kiosk Self Check-in and Concierge Check-in by your branch staff thus ensuring a great first impression. Key Takeaway: Members and visitors from all demographics have high expectations when visiting your CU’s branches to open new accounts. A robust visitor management platform such as Better Lobby can greatly assist in leaving a positive impression and building brand loyalty.
Automated marketing campaigns are clicking with members
A recent CU Journal article noted that many credit unions are deploying adaptive email marketing automation campaigns that are increasing new balances, spiking auto loan applications and converting anonymous website visitors to being “known.” In a similar vein, one of our clients recently came to us and asked if we could help them obtain accurate and timely responses from their members when their branch visit was fresh in their minds. In response, we developed the Survey Trigger. This module, which works in conjunction with third party survey software, can be configured to send a text or email survey to a member when their memory of visit is fresh, e.g., 15 minutes to 1 hour after their branch visit. Key Takeaway: At the conclusion of the branch visit, Better Lobby Survey Trigger Module reminds staff to invite members to be surveyed, records their responses and sends the “yes, I want to be surveyed” responses to your survey software provider together with the required member information. We believe that this “Voice of the Member” tool would be a good addition to our client’s marketing tool kits.