Being on-site with our clients is important. In fact, it’s so important that we visit each of our clients at least once a year—on our dime. (That’s in addition to the initial visit we make at the beginning of the relationship.) Why would we do such a thing? Because we believe it’s that important.
On a recent client visit, our Senior Relationship Development Leader, Meg Robertson overheard a statement that reminded us exactly how beneficial these on-site visits are for strengthening our client relationships and ensuring each credit union’s success. “I didn’t even know the other branch has a place for those posters.” This comment came from a credit union team member who routinely distributes print marketing collateral to the credit union’s two branches. Interestingly, those who did know that there was a place for those posters weren’t following up to make sure the materials were printed and posted.
This exchange may seem like a simple lack of communication, but it’s much more than that. Had that miscommunication not been caught so quickly, the credit union team would have continued wasting time and money by creating promotional pieces they would never have used! And had we not been on site, we never would have been able to identify and analyze that issue, let alone help create a plan to ensure that branch materials are distributed properly from now on.
In relaying her experience, Meg highlighted the power of personal presence when she said, “Had I not been there with them, I would have never known.” I’ve always understood our visits enable us to nurture relationships with our clients, but those words from Meg made it crystal clear that our on-site interactions also provide the checks and balances that allow us to achieve a level of excellence far beyond anyone else in our industry.
Whether the credit union is a few miles from our office or a thousand miles away, we want our collaboration process to be seamless, as if working with an in-house VP of Marketing. By maintaining an open line of communication and making regular on-site visits, we’re able to respond quickly and efficiently—like we’re just across the office.
Strategy is at the heart of the solutions we provide, and we work hard to clarify the why and the what of the marketing for every one of the more than 35 credit unions we work with. However, our willingness to go the extra mile and adjust strategy as needed is what truly distinguishes our service. We’ve learned a lot over the last ten years. We stay agile in order to navigate the ever-changing needs of our clients, and we’re continually reassessing what’s working and how we can continue to serve our clients better tomorrow than we did yesterday.
