Why Your Members are Afraid of Shared Branching and What to Do About it

Credit Union Shared Branching... what's not to love? It offers convenience to your members, allowing them to make deposits, withdrawals, transfers, loan payments and many other transactions, regardless of where they are located. It allows your member to keep his or her accounts with the credit union they have grown to trust, even if they are moving. For members who retire and move to warmer weather climates, or perhaps are just traveling on vacation and need to take care of some account matters, it removes the barriers of distance. Yet, some members seem to show resistance to the concept. Here are a few challenges you may face with the adoption of shared branching by your member base:

Challenge: Change. Change can be scary. A member that has been banking with you for a long time may feel uneasy about conducting business beyond the walls of your teller lines.  
Resolution: Reminders. These same creatures of habit are the ones who probably don't use your internet banking or mobile banking app. It can be argued, if they are happy where they are and are so reluctant to change, it is not necessary to try to change their minds. They are members for life to a fault, and that is not a bad problem to have. However, reminding them from time to time of the existence of shared branching, and offering to educate them if they are interested is a good idea even if it's just to ensure they don't change their mind about... change!

Challenge: Awareness. They are simply not aware of shared branching. Perhaps you have not publicized it enough. Or they haven't paid attention. Their membership to your credit union may be at risk, since they may hear about shared branching from another organization and be attracted to what it offers, not knowing it's even an option for them.
Resolution: Marketing. Whether it's email blasts, signs inside the branch, or having member service reps ask members if they are aware of shared branching... all are low-cost opportunities to market your service and ensure your members are aware of the benefits available to them.

Challenge: Need. Some members perceive shared branching as unnecessary. They live near a branch or your credit union is in their place of employment. 
Resolution: Education. Educate your members on the many benefits of shared branching beyond just banking somewhere else more convenient. For example, alleviating the need to carry a ton of cash on vacation, if they are going somewhere a shared branch in your network is located. 

Challenge: Trust. One of Credit unions' greatest assets is the element of trust. For those who are members due in part to distrust of other financial institutions, they may distrust the whole concept of Shared Banking.
Resolution: Affirmation. You can't pick and choose what signs members see when they walk in the door, or how they will perceive your marketing emails. They don't wear badges that say "I distrust banks." So for these members, it is important to level with them. If they ask about shared branching, affirm your commitment to their financial security, and reassure them that you would never offer member services that didn't meet your high standards of security.

It's not members that show the greatest resistance to shared branching. In fact, many members view shared branching as an example of why they bank at a CU to begin with, embracing the cooperative, inherent nature of what a credit union is. CU execs and boards are sometimes bigger obstacles to overcome, fearing misconceptions such as cost and other credit unions enticing your members away, or fearing the technology that enables Shared Branching.