Daniel Mijal, VP of Digital Strategy at Heartland Credit Union, stopped by the show to share how Glia helped the credit union's call center achieve a 98.4% success rate -- even during a simultaneous merger and core conversion.

Setting the stage: When Heartland Credit Union went through a merger and core banking conversion at the same time, the credit union's members needed extra help getting up to speed on all the changes. But Heartland’s aging contact center technology, at the time, wasn’t built to handle such high volume, creating a challenging experience for members and call center reps.

That’s when Heartland turned to Glia—and generated eye-popping results by using Glia's voice and digital solutions to unify voice, video, chat, and tools like CoBrowsing, Here are some of the results:

• Increased call center success rate to 98.4%
• Reduced average wait time to just 66 seconds
• Boosted member experience scores to 4.53 out of 5
• Achieved a 93% "would use again" rate from members

Heartland also increased staff efficiency and unlocked game-changing reporting capabilities. 

Daniel shared some of the challenges Heartland faced prior to adopting Glia? (What prompted you all to move in this direction?)

Coupled with the conversion, the merger doubled Heartland's asset size, which impacted its digital transformation efforts, presenting new challenges -- as well as new opportunities.

Daniel also shared some of the initial impacts he started noticing after getting Glia fully implemented, providing examples of how Glia has made a difference in their day-to-day operations and in member interactions.

Lastly, he provided some advice to credit unions that may be in similar situations.

Check it out and let us know your thoughts. And be sure to watch the entire episode below for all the details.

​Finastra’s VP, Product Management Pete Longo stopped by the show to share his insights on how smaller financial institutions can modernize their core banking.

Pete explains how they are doing this, using the term "toll boothing" -- as well as sharing what this modernization looks like exactly, relating it to a power strip to plug in when needed.

In addition, he discussed what this modernization means for a smaller financial institution, helping them better compete and better serve their audiences.

Lastly, Pete provided some advice for smaller FIs in looking for a core banking provider that will allow them to grow with the latest technology.

Check it out and let us know your thoughts. And be sure to watch the entire episode below for all the details.

(Stay tuned for part 2 next week when Pete talks about providing digital payments solutions without losing your personal touch.)

Ashish Garg, Co-founder/CEO at Eltropy, joined us in the Studio Lounge to talk about providing financial technology to credit unions and community banks to empower communities all through storytelling and innovation.

Specifically, Ashish discussed the conference's overarching theme was 'innovation with purpose,' emphasizing the need for community financial institutions to connect with their purpose of serving communities.

He shared a touching story about First City Credit Union, which kept a branch open during fires to serve first responders, providing meals and support despite challenging conditions. Eltropy's texting technology allowed the credit union to maintain communications with its staff ensuring their safety during a crisis.

Ashish also shared key areas of focus for technology and AI in communities financial institutions. Some of those key areas include automating simple inquiries, enhancing staff utilization, and improving proactive communication to address member needs effectively.

One of the audience's favorite conference sessions was "Stump the Experts." The highly engaging session was a two-way conversation where the audience actively participated by asking questions to the expert panel, testing their tech knowledge -- all while providing some valuable help, as well.

Check it out and let us know your thoughts. And be sure to watch more of our Studio Lounge interviews from Eltropy Emerge on our episode archive page -- as well as supporting our host/sponsor: Eltropy.

Prasad Shrotri, Head of Product/VP of Solutions at Eltropy, stopped by the Studio Lounge to discuss navigating the future of fintech and Eltropy's role in this navigation for credit unions and community banks.

In particular, Prasad shared insights on the challenges credit unions face in meeting member needs and the significance of embedded finance. He also highlighted the necessity for omnichannel strategies to keep pace with consumer expectations, as well as emphasizing the importance of adapting to market changes.

Check it out and let us know your thoughts. And be sure to watch more of our Studio Lounge interviews from Eltropy Emerge on our episode archive page -- as well as supporting our host/sponsor: Eltropy.

Michael Pupil, VP Collections Business Unit, Eltropy, joined us in the Studio Lounge to talk about the modernization of the collections process in credit unions and community banks -- and Eltropy's role in this process.

Specifically, Michael discussed his conference session ("The Next Era of Collections: Smarter, Faster, More Effective") that focused on transitioning from reactive to proactive collections strategies, utilizing new technologies to enhance member communication.
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He also shared how technology is crucial for improving communication channels and outreach strategies, allowing credit unions to engage members more effectively, which has allowed for a shift towards using empathetic language and proactive outreach methods, such as texting, to engage members earlier in the collections process.

Michael also facilitated the "Collections 2.0" breakout session, as well, that addressed a modern approach to collections that emphasizes ease of use and proactive communication, aiming to reduce reliance on payday lending. All this leveraging technology, ultimately, attracts younger members because it caters to their preferred communication methods and digital experiences.

Check it out and let us know your thoughts. And be sure to watch more of our Studio Lounge interviews from Eltropy Emerge on our episode archive page -- as well as supporting our host/sponsor: Eltropy.