Creating an Experience Culture

Elizabeth D. Thompson
December 21, 2007 | COMMENTS

This white paper examines the newly-emerged concept of experience culture. It looks at different theories and methods for improving the member experience, which has become more than just the sale of products and services. Experience culture holistically addresses both the obvious and hidden needs of today's modern consumers, who have evolved beyond the box retail environment to crave greater personal engagement, empowerment, interactivity, and the elimination of unnecessary frustration and detail.

Credit unions have the tools already to synthesize meaningful member experiences; however, these tools may need to be updated to better resonate with consumers.

Experiences can be created on a small or large scale and in a variety of environments, including within the branch and online depending on the credit union's resources. A good starting point for most credit unions is to focus on creating the best transparent experience . This is achieved by cleaning up and polishing daily operations, points of contact, and the appearance and function of infrastructure. Further needed improvements and progress are then tracked through member surveys.

Becoming acquainted with the basics of experience theory (some of which are included in this paper), will help credit union staff interact, discuss, and learn from professionals in other industries who have similar goals in improving the consumer's experience.

This is the executive summary to a white paper by Elizabeth D. Thompson entitled “Creating an Experience Culture.” Read the complete paper in the "White Papers" section of the CUNA Technology Council website under the "OpSS" tab.