These days, modern credit union (CU) members expect more from the financial  institutions they choose to bank with. They began a relationship with your CU because they were looking for a personalized level of care and attention to detail that they weren't able to find with larger banks. They'll maintain that relationship if your credit union proves committed to the idea of making members' lives easier and more convenient in any way that you can moving forward.

In a lot of ways, the success of credit unions over the years can be attributed to their natural emphasis on innovation--particularly when compared to larger financial institutions.

Offering forward-thinking services like digital new account openings is a great way to improve your credit union's conversion rates, empower the user experience, and attract the attention of a younger and technologically savvy group of potential members--all at the exact same time.

The process of opening a new account digitally is a critical part of any credit union's success. It serves as the gateway to an array of features and benefits, and a successful experience can increase member satisfaction, boost loyalty, and set the foundation for positive long-term relationships. As such, it is vital for credit unions to optimize their digital new account opening processes to ensure they remain up to date with changing technology and member preferences, continually offering the best possible experience.

At this point, there are a lot of credit unions that offer digital services like digital account opening. Therefore, if you truly want to stand out in a crowd, your credit union needs to go above and beyond merely what is expected of you.

For decades, credit unions have been seen as invaluable contributors to the communities they operate in. This is especially true when compared to the stale, impersonal experiences that are often offered to those that bank with larger financial institutions.

Savvy credit union leaders understand that there have been a few key drivers of both deposits and loan growth in recent years. Better marketing campaigns that effectively target younger members are one of them, as have been more aggressive offers that people just can't help but say "no" to.

Although it may sound unbelievable, a recent study revealed a frightening prediction: up to 80% of financial institutions could disappear by the end of the decade. That is unless they can find a way to use technology to innovate their operations, bringing them more in line with the expectations of modern audiences. Note that this number includes not only big banks but credit unions as well. Nobody is immune to the ever-evolving digital world that we are now a part of.

Digital transformation isn't just an important part of the success of any credit union--it has become critically so in the wake of COVID-19. According to one recent study, the pandemic sped up the average adoption of digital technologies by an estimated three to seven years, all in the span of just a few months.

At the core of any effort to increase efficiency for your credit union is an inherently straightforward idea: you need to empower both your employees and your members to do more with less.