It’s 2023, and communication is no longer the same as it was even five years ago. The world has rapidly changed, and the digital workplace has taken hold in almost every industry. This brings many advantages for organizations but also has challenges that must be addressed head-on. The digital workplace must co-exist with strict regulations, compliance, and security for the financial sector. Credit union communication is not just about sending emails to your employees across branches but creating a 2-way dialogue that informs, involves, and inspires. When building an internal comms strategy within your CU, three things are essential:
– Reaching employees in a timely and efficient way
– Adhering to security regulations
– Building a digital community that feels connected
Let’s dive into what each three of these points mean.
Credit union communication involves multiple channels (and takes mobile into account)
Emergencies are a part of life. But being uninformed about emergencies doesn’t have to be. When disaster strikes, whether it be a power outage, flood, weather event, or whatever else, you want to be able to reach your credit union employees quickly and let them know exactly what the next steps are. However, figuring out which way to communicate with them is hard, and deciding to send an email vs. an SMS (after all, many of us check our mobiles more than our laptops, especially outside of work hours) could be the difference between safety and hazard.
When you use proper digital workplace communication tools, such things are already considered. With Intranet Connections, the Push extension allows employees to choose which channels they want to receive important alerts on—whether it be SMS, email, Teams, or Slack. This way, you won’t waste valuable seconds trying to craft a channel strategy during an emergency, and can alert them on their preferred channel directly from you intranet! And with powerful insight dashboards, you can see exactly who has or hasn’t opened, read the alert, and re-send as needed so that your entire workforce knows what to do in crises.
Good credit union communication remains complaint
Financial organizations operating in the US must comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley act. This means that all communications within the organization must be recorded and kept to meet requirements. Failure to do so can result in costly fines and legal proceedings. Thus, it is crucial to be discriminatory when selecting a communications tool, whether an intranet or any other software, to ensure its purpose-built with the finance industry in mind.
Beyond compliance, simple admin tools in the credit union communication software are also beneficial. Take, for example, the creation of new policies and procedures. You want to ensure that everyone in your organization has read the latest policy so that they can abide by it, but sending out a simple email gives you no insight into who has opened, read, and agreed to the change! With a purpose-built communication tool like IC, you can see exactly who has read a specific policy and has clicked “agree,” indicating that they are compliant.
Communication strives to build a connected credit union community
Credit union communication is more than just a stream of information; it is about building a collective and collaborative community within the digital workplace. So many of our CU intranet customers enjoy feeling connected to people at other branches who they don’t often get to see in person. While crisis communication and compliance are critical parts of your credit union communication strategy, your communication efforts should also be aiding in building a sense of community. Celebrating work wins, calling out successes, and hosting Q&A sessions with staff are all ways our customers have helped their workforce feel more in sync.
Ready to advance credit union communication in your organization?
Book a demo with IC today to learn how our intranet, and Push extension, will work to make your credit union more connected, compliant, and covered for any hurdle.
