For more than 90 years, the credit union movement has grown by serving people others overlooked. That legacy matters. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: the service model that worked for the past 90 years won’t carry us through the next 90. If we want to grow, not just incrementally but exponentially, service must stop being a department and start being a multiplier.
Forget the old ways of growth: more branches, lower loan rates, slightly better CD specials. Those tactics no longer define relevance. Members aren’t impressed by marginally better deals. They’re loyal to experiences that feel seamless, meaningful, and personal. Service is not about smiling tellers, free coffee, or slogans about being friendly. Service is about how the credit union shows up as a partner in a member’s life: every day, across every channel, with the competence and conviction that builds unshakable trust.
Service as Leadership
Service is not frontline work alone; it’s leadership work. Boards and executives decide whether “service” means transactions or transformation. They decide if members see a credit union or a partner. Growth begins when leaders understand that service isn’t soft; it’s strategy.
Leadership that treats service as a multiplier sets the standard for the entire organization. It frames investments in people, processes, and technology not as costs, but as growth accelerants. Service becomes the engine, not the afterthought.
Experience Over Transactions
Members don’t need another place to park their paycheck. They need a partner who helps them achieve security, stability, and dreams. That requires experiences, not transactions.
An “experience” means:
• Digital platforms that don’t just function but delight.
• Conversations, virtual or in-person, that are proactive, not reactive.
• Personalized advice that feels as relevant as what they get from consumer giants like Amazon.
The contrarian truth: the best service isn’t delivered in the branch. It’s felt in every interaction, long after the branch visit ends.
Technology as Service
Technology is often miscast as a replacement for service. The opposite is true: technology is service. It’s the way members judge whether their credit union belongs in their financial lives.
A clunky app says, “We don’t care.”
A seamless loan application says, “We value your time.”
Real-time alerts say, “We’ve got your back.”
Technology doesn’t erode humanity; it extends it. Credit unions that stop treating digital as a bolt-on and start treating it as the brand will win the growth race.
Partnership Over Products
This is where credit unions can differentiate. Banks sell products. Fintechs sell convenience. True service is about partnership.
Partnership means sitting at the same side of the table as members. It means anticipating life’s milestones before the member asks. It means standing firm in moments of crisis, offering solutions instead of apologies.
Partnership is not “better than a bank.” It’s “better for me.” And when members feel that difference, they stay, grow, and advocate.
Speed as Proof of Service
Speed isn’t just efficiency; it’s competence. A mortgage closed in weeks instead of months. A payment resolved in minutes instead of days. A fraud alert sent before the member even knows something is wrong.
When credit unions deliver with speed, they deliver confidence. And confidence is the foundation of long-term growth.
The 10XCU Example: Service at Scale
One 10XCU made a simple but radical decision: treat service as its primary growth strategy. They didn’t invest first in new branches or new advertising. Instead, they invested in building member journeys that were frictionless, personal, and predictive.
Loan approval times dropped from weeks to days. Digital engagement soared. Most important, members began to recommend the credit union not because of a product, but because of an experience. Growth in new households followed—double digits, year over year.
That’s the power of service as a multiplier. It’s not a slogan. It’s a system.
The Next 90 Years
The credit union movement has thrived for nearly a century because it put people before profits. The next 90 years will require the same heart, but a sharper edge. Service must move beyond smiles and slogans. It must become the multiplier for growth, anchored in experience, powered by technology, and grounded in true partnership.
Branches won’t define the future. Rates won’t define the future. Service will. The kind of service that convinces members that their credit union isn’t just where they bank, but who they trust to guide them forward.
The future of credit unions won’t be written by the largest balance sheets or the most aggressive marketers. It will be written by the leaders who understand that service is not a task to be completed; it’s a strategy to be unleashed.
That’s how relevance is sustained. That’s how market share expands. That’s how growth becomes unstoppable.
Jeff Rendel, Certified Speaking Professional, is President of Rising Above Enterprises. He works with credit unions as a strategist for growth. Connect with Jeff: www.jeffrendel.com • jeff@jeffrendel.com • 951.310.7275