A few years ago, an On The Mark Strategies team member went to the movies at a theater he visited all the time. But after this trip, he wound up with terrible food poisoning. Do you think he returned to that theater? Obviously not. Like the movie theater, you can compromise your consumer relationships with one bad experience. Your credit union member experience training is never one-and-done, and it’s always about consistency. Performing well is an infinite game…one you must win.
The Infinite Game
“The Infinite Game” is a book by Simon Sinek that discusses how running a business is an unending game (unlike football or chess with defined rules and time limits). You must focus on the long-term vision – not the short-term wins – if you wish to move your business ahead and build a better world.
Think about this concept in the context of your credit union member experience training:
- Analyze sentiment over years rather than a few recent good reviews
- See if you have a branded journey map or a program that “wings it”
- Don’t assume one good experience keeps you safe
That last point is especially important. You need a good experience as often as possible. Looking at things over the long term, you must form an overwhelming collection of good experiences so people forgive the occasional imperfect one.
One service success is a short-term win. But don’t stick with a short-term mindset…develop an infinite mindset.
Win Internally, Then Externally
The food poisoning failure at the movie theater didn’t start with the visitor who ate the tainted food. It started in the theater’s kitchen. Standards slipped. Maybe someone didn’t wash their hands. Maybe a manager started rushing chicken out the door without triple-checking quality.
At your organization, winning (or losing) the infinite game also starts internally. Your level of external service never rises above your level of internal service to each other.
Live your brand standards internally, and they naturally flow out to external audiences. This means that, yes, sales and service involves everyone. The “back office” folks are critical to service success. Without their support, the “frontline” folks suffer.
Consistent Development = Consistent Performance
For any team member to have consistent performance, they need consistent development. The daily grind does exactly what it promises – it grinds you down. That means anything you pour into your team gets slowly squeezed out of them like juice from a lemon…unless you reinforce it.
Credit union member experience training must never be a one-time dog-and-pony show. It should be a regular practice that helps teams stay engaged with your service program.
You get out of performance what you put into development. Consistency in development breeds consistency in performance. And consistency wins the infinite game.
Still, the biggest problem we hear leaders talk about is inconsistency in their service programs. Solve that problem with a credit union member experience training program customized to your brand. Book a consultation to chat about it.
Frequently Asked Questions About Credit Union Member Experience Training
Q: Why is consistency the most important factor in credit union member experience?
A: A single bad experience can end a member relationship permanently, just as one case of food poisoning can keep a loyal customer from ever returning to a restaurant. Credit unions that rely on occasional service wins without building a consistent program are vulnerable to losing members after any single misstep. The goal is to build an overwhelming collection of positive experiences over time, so members develop enough goodwill to forgive the rare imperfect interaction. One good experience is a short-term win; a consistent service culture is what wins the long term.
Q: What does “the infinite game” mean for credit union member experience training?
A: Simon Sinek’s concept of the infinite game holds that running a business has no final whistle. There’s no point at which you’ve “won” and can stop competing. Applied to member experience, this means evaluating service quality over years rather than a handful of recent reviews, building a structured and branded member journey rather than winging it and never assuming that past performance keeps you safe. Credit unions that adopt this long-term mindset develop service programs designed for durability, not just short-term performance boosts.
Q: How does internal culture affect member-facing service at a credit union?
A: External service quality never rises above the level of internal service employees extend to each other. If back-office teams aren’t aligned with the credit union’s brand standards, frontline staff can’t consistently deliver on them. Member experience training isn’t just for tellers and member service representatives – it involves the entire organization. When a credit union lives its service standards internally, those standards flow naturally into every member interaction.
Q: Why does member experience training need to be ongoing rather than a one-time event?
A: The daily demands of the job gradually erode the habits and mindsets that training instills. Skills and service behaviors get squeezed out over time unless they’re consistently reinforced. One-time training events (no matter how engaging) don’t produce lasting behavior change. Regular, structured development keeps teams connected to the service program and maintains the consistency that members notice and respond to. Consistency in development is what produces consistency in performance.
Q:What are the signs that a credit union’s member experience program needs improvement?
A: Common indicators include inconsistent service quality across branches or channels, a lack of a documented and branded member journey map, service training that happens infrequently or only during onboarding and a gap between how internal teams treat each other and how members are treated externally. Leaders who hear complaints about service inconsistency, rather than isolated incidents, typically have a systemic issue that requires a customized, ongoing program rather than a one-time fix.
