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Setting the wrong target can have lasting consequences, too low and you risk stagnation, too high and you risk eroding buy-in from staff and members alike. That’s why we’ve released our 2026 Goal Setting Guide, designed specifically to help credit union leaders align member experience goals with broader strategic priorities.

The full guide walks through benchmarks, methodologies, and best practices backed by over 12 million member surveys across more than 200 credit unions. Below, we’re sharing a preview of key themes that can help you sharpen your approach.

3 Things to Consider Before Setting Your 2026 Goals:

1. Balance Leading and Lagging Indicators

• Leading indicators like Member Effort Score (MES) and Overall Satisfaction provide actionable, real-time insights.
• Lagging indicators like Relationship Net Promoter Score (NPS) measure loyalty over time.
  Credit unions that balance both are better positioned to adjust quickly while tracking the long-term impact.

2. Align Goals with Major Strategic Initiatives

Planning to open new branches? Launch new digital services? Undergo a core conversion? Your goals should anticipate the member impact of these initiatives. For example, temporary declines in NPS during digital conversions are common, but post-recovery, scores often climb higher than before.

3. Choose the Right Goal-Setting Approach

Some credit unions use exact targets, others set tiered levels (minimum, target, stretch), and many compare against MLG benchmark percentiles to track competitive positioning. Each approach has advantages, but the key is ensuring targets are both challenging and realistic.

How to Use This Guide

The Member Loyalty Group 2026 Goal Setting Guide is designed to make the process less daunting for executives. Inside, you’ll find:

• Examples of role-based goal setting for executives, managers, and frontline teams.
• Insights on statistical significance and why it matters in evaluating results.
• Data-driven charts showing what realistic improvement looks like for NPS, OSAT, MES, and Experience Attributes.
• Tips on how to adjust goals when major organizational changes are planned.

Ready to Set Goals That Drive Growth?

The 2026 Goal Setting Guide goes beyond tips to provide data, benchmarks, and tested strategies credit unions can apply immediately.

Download the Full Guide to access all the details and set your credit union up for success in 2026.

Why the Bar for Digital Experience is Higher Than Ever

Mobile apps. Online banking. Chatbots. Email support. To your members, these aren’t separate channels, they’re all part of a single, unified experience. And if even one part of that journey causes frustration, it can impact satisfaction and loyalty.

According to Medallia’s Latest Digital Experience Trends Report, 51% of consumers have stopped doing business with a company due to digital difficulties, and 40% of users who can’t complete their task on a website or app end up switching to a competitor. These numbers highlight just how critical the digital journey has become in member retention.

To meet rising expectations, credit unions need more than basic analytics or member surveys. They need a unified view of the digital member experience, built on both behavioral signals and timely feedback.

What It Takes: A Digital-First Member Experience Strategy

To truly meet today’s expectations, credit unions need more than surveys and surface-level analytics. They need a connected approach that combines real-time behavioral insights with in-the-moment member feedback to reveal both what’s happening and why.

Here’s how it works:

1. Detect Digital Friction with Behavior-Based Insights

See how members are navigating your digital channels and identify:

• Drop-offs, exits, or broken journeys
• Points of hesitation, confusion, or delay
• Repetitive actions like rage clicks or re-tries

These patterns reveal where friction is occurring even when members don’t report it.

2. Collect Targeted Feedback at Key Moments

Go beyond traditional surveys by capturing feedback directly within the digital journey:

• Ask short, contextual questions when a task is completed (or abandoned)
• Use mobile-friendly formats to drive higher response rates
• Tailor prompts based on behavior or member type

This gives you the “why” behind the behavior and helps prioritize what matters most.

Why Digital Experience Matters for Credit Unions

When digital interactions go well, members often don’t notice. But when something breaks down, they rarely speak up. According to Medallia’s research, 52% of users say they question whether it’s even worth reporting an issue, and 70% of digital visitors leave no feedback at all creating blind spots in your experience.

This silent friction leads to:

• Lost opportunities (loan applications left unfinished)
• Rising call center volume (due to broken or unclear journeys)
• Declining loyalty (as members quietly explore other providers)

A digital-first member experience strategy helps credit unions:

• Detect and resolve issues before they escalate
• Prioritize digital improvements based on real member impact
• Deliver more consistent, seamless experiences that drive satisfaction

It’s not about replacing your current tools. It’s about creating a connected, proactive approach to digital experience management.

MLG’s Digital-First Experience Solutions: Built for Credit Unions

We help credit unions create smarter, more seamless digital journeys. Here’s what makes our approach different:

• Behavioral insights + in-the-moment feedback
• Tools tailored to credit union operations and goals
• Strategic guidance from experts who understand your challenges

Whether you’re launching a new app or optimizing existing channels, we help you go from fragmented signals to clear, actionable insights that drive loyalty.

Ready to Build a Better Digital Experience?

If your credit union is ready to reduce silent friction and deliver the kind of digital experience your members expect, we are here to help.

Request a demo to see how our Digital-First Experience Solutions can help you detect issues, gather smarter feedback, and improve experiences, all in real time.