How NPS Improves Over Time and Why It Matters for Credit Unions

As credit unions continue to focus on enhancing member experience, it’s essential to leverage data-driven insights to make impactful changes. One of the most effective ways to track improvements in member satisfaction is through the Net Promoter Score® (NPS). Recently, Member Loyalty Group (MLG) analyzed credit union data based on program tenure and observed how NPS evolved over time. The results were clear—credit unions that gathered, responded to, and acted upon member feedback saw significant increases in NPS, demonstrating stronger loyalty and engagement.

Understanding NPS Growth Over Time 

When credit unions first implement an NPS program, it’s common to experience lower-than-average scores in the initial stages. As the program matures and credit unions gather and act upon member feedback, their NPS tends to improve. MLG’s analysis revealed that credit unions generally see their NPS increase beginning in the second year of the program, with continued gains as they progress.

What Contributes to NPS Improvement?

Several factors influence whether a credit union’s NPS will improve over time. Successful credit unions typically have systems in place that allow their teams to efficiently gather, share, and act on member feedback across the organization. Here are the key contributors to NPS improvement:

  • Feedback-Driven Culture: Credit unions that cultivate a culture of feedback, where teams regularly share and respond to member input, are more likely to make meaningful changes that enhance loyalty.
  • Open-Ended Feedback: In addition to NPS scores, analyzing open-ended feedback from members allows credit unions to pinpoint specific areas of improvement, leading to more targeted enhancements.
  • Closing the Feedback Loop: Responding to members and closing the feedback loop ensures that member concerns are addressed, reinforcing trust and deepening loyalty.

The Lagging Nature of NPS

It’s important to note that NPS is often a lagging indicator. Changes in member experience may not immediately reflect in NPS, as the score is influenced by a series of interactions over time. A single positive interaction may not instantly boost a member’s NPS if previous experiences were less favorable.

However, by tracking NPS over an extended period, credit unions can identify trends that reflect overall improvements in member satisfaction. ​Investing in a robust member experience program takes time, but the payoff is clear: as credit unions continue to gather and act on member feedback, NPS increases and member loyalty strengthens. If your credit union is looking for ways to improve NPS and overall member satisfaction, leveraging data-driven insights and building a culture of feedback are essential steps toward success.

At MLG, we offer participating credit unions a variety of tools to help them improve their NPS. This includes opportunities to engage in discussions with peers, attend webinars, and learn best practices for managing their member experience programs. Additionally, our Partner Success Team is available to help our credit unions make the most of their feedback, offering insights on how to close the feedback loop and foster member-centricity across all levels of the organization.

Ready to boost your NPS and elevate your member experience? Contact us at [email protected] or current customers may visit our Member Connect platform for insights and tools that can help drive their growth.

MX Don’t – Gaming the System

While visiting a fast-casual restaurant recently, a MLG team member noticed a sign posted in the area where orders are placed. It offered a free menu item to customers giving the location a 5-star review. It read “Give us a 5-star survey and receive your chips or drink after showing proof of completion to the cashier.” It then directed the customer to where they could find the survey code on their receipt.

Working in the field of CX, this immediately raised some red flags. While asking for and even incentivizing a good review may seem like an easy way to guarantee high scores, it can actually have a negative impact in the long run. Why?

  • The ‘feedback’ received isn’t trustworthy or based on real experience. The data provides no real value to legitimate programs designed to improve customer experience and drive change.
  • Scores and the true customer experience won’t line up. In the example above, what if the service was poor but the customer wanted a free drink? Scores may appear (falsely) high for a time, but if the experience doesn’t match, a gap will emerge between ratings and customer comments. This can actually degrade the overall customer experience. Leaders may not become aware of service issues in a timely manner, eliminating their ability to take corrective action.
  • ‘Paying’ for a good review says that you care more about your rating than actually doing the work and providing a great experience. It could turn what would have been a positive review into a more negative one – not the results you want. It may also deter customers from returning, and in the case of a credit union – establishing a long term relationship

Asking for feedback is a key part of managing customer experience. Honest and transparent feedback has the power to transform processes and make companies better. It should be embraced and acted upon to orchestrate the best possible experience for the customer. By gaming the system, the customer becomes a means to an end, not the priority as they should be.

See the future of MX at Experience ’24

Member Loyalty Group has partnered with the leader in Customer Experience Management tools, Medallia, to offer exclusive credit union access to their global user conference, Experience. This event will take place February 5-7, 2024 at the Wynn Las Vegas.

Attendees will discover:

  • CX industry trends, best practices, and case studies from experts around the world
  • Revolutionary products that are reshaping the experience industry
  • Native AI that exists within the Medallia solutions, and exciting new AI-driven technologies
  • Dedicated, credit union-specific sessions with the MLG team and fellow credit union professionals
  • Connections with industry leaders, experts, and credit union peers

Registration details:

Guests of MLG will receive a discounted rate of $795 with code EXP24MLG.  Upon completion of the registration process, you’ll receive a link to book hotel accommodations with a discounted rate of $299 USD/night plus tax. We hope you can join us for this exciting event!

REGISTER

Speech Analytics

Speech Analytics turns contact center conversations into actionable insights

Your contact center is a critical front line channel to assist and support members. Every conversation between your reps and members contains clues about the quality of the experiences your credit union delivers, but uncovering the meaningful pieces of information within thousands of calls can be a challenge. That’s where Speech Analytics can help.

How does it work?

Speech Analytics works by transcribing and then analyzing audio and video conversations to detect member sentiment, trends, and emerging issues. A combination of AI-based analytic capabilities can identify patterns and insights that may otherwise go unnoticed:

  • Spectral-level speech analytics to detect talk/silence time, overtalk and vocal emotion
  • Transcript-level text analytics to identify the reason for the call, themes/topics, member effort, sentiment and actionable suggestions

Identify issues and accelerate improvements

Call transcripts are full of information on the topics members call in about and why. Speech Analytics uses AI-powered text analytics to identify trends and patterns within individual calls and across contact center interactions. For example, are members getting stuck during a specific application process? Are cards being declined? Could a self-service tool provide assistance with common requests? This data can then be automatically routed to the appropriate team(s) for action.

Optimize operational efficiency

Through real-time analysis, Speech Analytics can detect the most common reasons for member calls, allowing credit unions to streamline call routing and handle times effectively. Receive detailed information on how well your contact centers are operating against key performance indicators, like first contact resolution and average handle time, down to the agent level. By understanding context for each call, you can quickly identify improvements for handling issue response.

Improve the performance of your representatives

Speech Analytics assesses four key attributes throughout conversations between your reps and members:

  • Talk time
  • Silence
  • Overtalk
  • Emotion

These speech attributes, along with the ability to identify strengths and weaknesses via text analytics, allow managers to note areas of needed improvement and provide targeted training and coaching.

Build on your existing CCaaS technology

Many credit unions already have Contact Center technology in place. However, CCaaS vendors typically handle data within the Contact Center only. Speech Analytics can enhance the output by capturing member data both inside and outside of the contact center and sharing it across teams (product, digital, executive, talent management, retail and more). This equips your credit union with clear insights to drive organization-wide change.

To learn more and see Speech Analytics in action, request a demo below.

REQUEST A DEMO