For nearly 50 years, Service 1st Federal Credit Union has served its Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania communities, growing to serve over 46,000 members while staying true to its "People Helping People" ethos. But the financial landscape has changed: members now crave seamless, modern service that matches the pace of their lives.
Recognizing this shift, the credit union took bold steps to meet member needs, partnering with Glia in 2021 to implement Glia Digital. This move vastly improved its digital interactions with real-time assistance through CoBrowsing and chat, delighting both members and agents during a critical core conversion.
However, this digital triumph cast a harsh light on an uncomfortable truth: its traditional call center was lagging behind.
Determined to bridge this gap, Service 1st set its sights on transforming the call center experience on both sides of the service counter. But to give members the modern phone service they expected, Service 1st knew it had to first take care of its key differentiator: its phone agents. The credit union set out to empower its agents with the right tools for not only improved efficiency, but also an improved employee experience.
As Service 1st embarked on this journey to modernize the call center, it would soon discover that bringing this vision to life came with its own set of challenges.
Service 1st's outdated Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system was a relic of a bygone era, forcing members to navigate frustrating menus with limited options. This frustrating experience led to long wait times and high call abandonment rates, undermining the credit union's commitment to superior service.
Members, accustomed to seamless digital interactions with Glia Digital, found themselves trapped in an analog experience when they picked up the phone. For employees, a disconnected call transfer process meant they were often flying blind, lacking crucial context as they attempted to resolve member inquiries. The result? Longer call handle times, mounting member frustration, and a widening gap between Service 1st's digital prowess and its telephony shortcomings.
Moreover, Service 1st's lack of personalized self-service options available after-hours was glaring. Members, expecting round-the-clock access to assistance regarding their finances, instead found themselves facing challenges outside of business hours. As Chris Court, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer, notes the impact, "If you're not serving members where they are, somebody else will."
This self-service gap didn't just disappoint members—it overwhelmed employees. Agents found themselves inundated with routine requests that could have been easily automated, leaving little time for the relationship-building that had always been Service 1st's hallmark.
Further compounding these challenges, Service 1st's legacy phone provider was sunsetting its existing IVR solution, adding urgency to the need for a new system. This impending obsolescence threatened to exacerbate the already significant issues with its telephony experience.
Service 1st needed a comprehensive, integrated call center solution that would not only resolve these issues but propel it into a new era of member service—one that matched the modern experience it was already delivering with its digital channels.
The choice was clear for Service 1st: Having already experienced the transformative power of Glia Digital, the credit union knew that true innovation lay in integration, not isolation.
Enter Glia Voice–the perfect call center complement to the credit union’s digital platform. This strategic choice wasn't just about upgrading technology; it was about creating a unified, ChannelLess® ecosystem where every member interaction, whether digital or voice, could be managed seamlessly.
But Service 1st didn't stop there. Determined to supercharge its call center capabilities, the credit union set its sights on Glia's powerful pre-trained Customer AI solution, the Glia Virtual Assistant (GVA) designed for phone service. Built for banking and able to handle more than 800 routine banking inquiries, the Phone GVA would transform Service 1st’s outdated IVR into a dynamic, conversational experience available 24/7.
To complete the technological trifecta, Service 1st deployed Glia’s Agent and Manager AI solutions to provide real-time conversation transcription, automate agents’ post-call documentation processes, and streamline managers’ quality assurance tasks.
By embracing Glia's Unified Interactions Management (UIM) platform–combining Glia Digital, Glia Voice, along with their fully integrated AI platform, Glia Cortex–Service 1st positioned itself to not just meet, but exceed the ever-evolving expectations of its members
Service 1st Federal Credit Union began by leveraging Glia’s AI-powered solutions to usher in a new era of member service, delivering tangible benefits that members felt with every interaction.
By swapping its antiquated call center system for Glia Voice and the Phone GVA, nicknamed “Scout”, the credit union eliminated long hold times and frustrating menu systems that once plagued member interactions. Now, members receive instant engagement when they call, with Scout either resolving their inquiry immediately or efficiently routing them to a human agent for more complex issues.
As a result, Service 1st dramatically improved key service metrics, directly enhancing the member experience:
Recognizing that financial needs don't adhere to business hours, Service 1st leveraged Scout to extend its support from limited hours to round-the-clock availability. As Court notes, "Members expect instant service 24/7. AI offers an efficiency we couldn't offer in the past." When live agents aren’t available outside of business hours, Scout is readily available to answer routine questions. Whether it's a midnight balance check or a pre-dawn loan inquiry, members now have round-the-clock access to critical banking services. Crucially, Service 1st unified the member experience across all channels. By implementing Glia Voice to complement Digital, Service 1st offered callers the same responsiveness and efficiency members enjoyed in digital interactions. Thanks to Glia's UIM platform, members can seamlessly switch from digital interactions to phone interactions without any loss of context, ensuring a truly integrated and frictionless service experience.While members reaped the benefits of Service 1st's call center makeover, they weren't the only ones to experience positive change. The credit union's agents also felt the impact of these improvements, transforming their ability to provide exceptional service.
"One of the keys to our success is our people," shares Court. He adds, "We never intended to replace humans with technology. Instead, we aimed to enhance our live agent support by integrating AI to handle routine member questions, field after-hours requests, and provide smooth transitions."
While Scout dramatically improved the member experience, its impact on agent experience was equally profound: a 29% reduction in calls going to live service reps. Because the Phone GVA can understand and handle the vast majority of common banking inquiries without human support, Service 1st used Scout as its primary line of support, only passing callers to staff members when they needed extra help. This reduction in call volume significantly mitigated the burnout-inducing experience of endless back-to-back calls, giving agents more time for professional development and meaningful member interactions.
For complex inquiries that Scout can't resolve on its own, Service 1st implemented a seamless handoff process. The credit union utilizes the Glia Cortex Transfer Summary feature to provide succinct summaries of member interactions so that the receiving live agent can quickly pick up where the Phone GVA left off. This not only saves time, but delivers a better experience for both reps and callers.
This AI-powered call triage system also reduces the overwhelming call volume at particularly busy times. Court illustrates the impact: “When members would call in, we would see a waterfall of calls all at once. By sending members to the phone virtual assistant first, that waterfall of calls is now a trickle. By engaging with the AI assistant first, those calls are now going to the call center one at a time.”
Looking to further streamline the employee experience, Service 1st implemented Cortex Interaction Wrap-up, which dramatically reduced average call wrap-up time for agents from 53 seconds to just 32 seconds, saving 33 hours of agent time per month. Cortex Interaction Wrap-up is a generative AI feature that automates post-interaction documentation, allowing agents to focus more on member interactions and less on administrative tasks, while also providing valuable interaction insights to managers.
Sarah Zinga, VP, Digital Solutions, notes, "With the time saved using Glia’s suite of AI solutions, we can now provide more coaching and training for agents and get them involved in committees within the contact center. It makes them feel better as an all-around employee, not just going call after call."
By prioritizing both member experience and employee empowerment, Service 1st has created a virtuous cycle. Happier, more engaged agents provide not only better but also more efficient service, leading to satisfied members.
Service 1st Federal Credit Union's implementation of AI-powered solutions didn't just enhance member and employee experiences—it catapulted its operational efficiency to new heights. By strategically deploying Glia's UIM platform, Service 1st proved that excellent service and operational efficiency can indeed go hand-in-hand.
Fine-tuned to answer hundreds of routine banking inquiries, Scout now successfully manages 37% of all calls without the need for live agent intervention, a stark contrast to 2023 when 100% of calls required human handling. Members are able to have their inquiries resolved without ever needing to be transferred to a live agent, and Service 1st is equipped to serve more members without increasing staffing.
Since implementing Scout, Service 1st is saving a staggering 69 hours per week, without additional agent headcount. This time savings means that the credit union is able to serve more members with the same staffing resources.
By reducing wait times, speeding up issue resolution, and offering 24/7 support through AI, the credit union has significantly enhanced its ability to meet members' needs promptly and effectively.
What’s next for Service 1st? The credit union is now setting its sights on implementing Glia Virtual Assistants over their online chat as well, to complement the support offered by their Phone GVAs.
This strategic move aims to extend the same level of efficient, 24/7 service to the credit union’s digital channels, creating a comprehensive AI support system. By integrating Digital GVAs, Service 1st anticipates further improvements in member satisfaction, operational efficiency, and the ability to serve members across all touchpoints. This next step underscores Service 1st's commitment to exceeding member expectations in an ever-evolving digital landscape.
Power Your Digital Transformation With Glia
As Service 1st partners with Glia to boost member service in the digital age, we’re here to help your institution chart its own course forward. Reach out today to find out what your institution can do with Glia’s fully connected UIM platform and Glia Cortex solutions.
