What the research says about member preferences, and how credit unions can deliver personal service on every channel.
What do credit union members expect in 2026?
The short version
Members moved to digital. They did not stop wanting a person. Credit unions were built on people helping people. That promise has not changed. What has changed is where people bank: 54% of U.S. bank customers now manage their accounts mainly in a mobile app, and only 9% mainly in a branch.1 The relationship has to travel with them.
- 725J.D. Power's 2026 credit union member satisfaction score: still well ahead of retail banks (657), but down 4 points.2,3
- 71%of members say they "definitely will" keep using their credit union, down 2 points in a year.2
- 59%of credit union members also hold a checking account somewhere else, and 56% hold savings elsewhere.2
Key findings
- Members want a person when it matters. Most people prefer self-service for routine tasks, but about two in three prefer a human for complaints and support.4 For loans, preferences are split almost evenly.
- Context is part of the experience. 74% of consumers worldwide are frustrated when they have to repeat information.5 Every channel switch that restarts the conversation costs goodwill.
- Implementation is a common bottleneck. More than 80% of banks and credit unions plan to raise technology spending in 2026, yet many fall short on planned deployments.6 Extending the systems already in place is one way to reduce that risk.
The one idea in this paper: put a person on the channel the member is already using, with the context of why the member is there. Six member moments show what that looks like, and a 10-question scorecard shows where to start.
How to read the six chapters
The same four parts every time, so moments compare side by side.
- The momentThe situation a member is in, and the research behind it.
- What good looks likePractices that apply on any contact center platform.
- One approachHow TrueEngage delivers it, shown on a fictional credit union, Maple & Main.
- What to measureThree outcomes and the metric that tracks each.
What TrueEngage adds
A contact and collaboration layer for Genesys Cloud. Members reach you from the website, the app or a branch kiosk; TrueEngage adds the channels; every interaction lands in the Genesys Cloud you already run, queued, routed, recorded and reported.
- Website
- Mobile app
- Branch kiosk
TrueEngage layer
- Web messaging
- Web call
- Video call
- Callback request
- Video kiosk
- In-app voice & video
- Screen sharing
- Chat-to-video upgrade
- PSTN-to-video upgrade
- Feedback
- Reporting
Genesys CloudQueued · Routed · Recorded · Reported
TrueEngage works only with Genesys Cloud. Part 2 of each chapter applies on any platform.
Members went digital. The relationship did not.
The landscape
Self-service now handles most routine tasks. The mobile app is bank customers' most-used way to manage their accounts, up from 26% in 2017 to 54% in 2025.1 But many relationships are shaped in the other moments: the auto loan question, the disputed charge, the mortgage decision, the problem the app cannot solve.
How U.S. customers mainly manage their bank accounts
Share naming each method as their top option, 20251
- Mobile app54%
- Online (computer)22%
- Branch9%
- ATM6%
- Phone4%
- 64%of banking consumers worldwide still rely on branches to resolve issues when they cannot resolve them online.8
- 28%of bank and credit card app customers use virtual assistants, and satisfaction with them "drops sharply" for problems or disputes.7
Preference for a person rises with the stakes
U.S. adults' preferred channel by banking task4
- Balances, bills, transfers~78%prefer an app or website
- Loans and credit cards48/42self-serve vs. live agent, %
- Complaints and support~2 in 3prefer a human
That is the gap. Members often get a polished app for the easy things. For the hard things, they get a phone number, a generic chat window or a trip to the branch.
Closing it means putting a person on the channel the member is already using, with the context of why the member is there.
The loyalty advantage is no longer automatic.
The stakes
Credit unions still lead banks in J.D. Power's study but trail them in ACSI's, and credit union scores fell in both. Members are also testing alternatives.
Among bank customers, 20% moved money away from their primary bank in the past three months, up from 17% a year earlier.3 Among digital banking users, 31% have already opened an account with a new institution after a bad digital experience, and roughly one in two would switch for a much better one.9 Credit union membership growth slowed to 1.81% in the first quarter of 2026, "one of the weakest levels in years."10
Credit unions have long set themselves apart through personal service. The challenge now is to deliver that service on every channel members use, without losing the context that makes it personal.
ACSI Finance Study 2026 (0–100)11
Credit unions fell 1% to 78. ACSI notes they once scored in the mid-to-high 80s, and that banks now deliver stronger mobile and web experiences for adults under 40.
J.D. Power 2026 satisfaction (1,000-pt)2,3
- Credit unions725
- Banks657
Credit unions still lead, but satisfaction fell 4 points and the share who "definitely will" keep using their credit union fell to 71%.
01 · One front door on every page
Member moment 01
A member lands on the auto loan page with a question. Often the options are a phone number, a generic chat and a form that goes to an inbox, and none of them knows what the member was reading. The conversation starts from zero, and most consumers say repeating themselves is frustrating.
Example: a TrueEngage contact widget on a credit union auto loan page. Illustrative mockup; Maple & Main Credit Union is fictional.
- 74%of consumers worldwide are frustrated when they have to repeat information.5
- 81%want agents to continue the conversation without backtracking.5
What good looks like
- A visible way to reach a person on every high-intent page
- Options that fit the page: video on mortgage pages, chat on card pages
- The member's topic and page passed to the agent before hello
- Options that adapt to hours and wait times, so no one hits a dead end
One approach: how TrueEngage handles it
- Targeted contact widget. One widget with rules by page, device, country and campaign, managed by business users in a web panel.
- Pre-interaction forms. The member's topic is passed into Genesys Cloud for routing and shown to the agent.
- Dynamic availability. Options hide outside business hours or when waits exceed a threshold. Availability refreshes every 30 seconds.
- Built on native web messaging. A customizable design on top of Genesys Web Messaging, added with one script or a Google Tag Manager tag.
What to measure
| Outcome | What changes | Track |
|---|
| Access | Members reach a person from the page they are on. | Contact rate and drop-off on key pages |
| Context | Agents start with the member's topic, not a blank screen. | Handle time and transfer rate |
| Journeys | Fewer abandoned applications and inquiries. | Completion rate on loan and account pages |
In use today A European insurer consolidated its scattered website contact options into one hub on Genesys Cloud.
02 · Changing channels mid-conversation
Member moment 02
A member is in chat about a loan payoff amount that does not match their statement. Typing is slowing everyone down. A common answer is "please call us," and the member starts over with someone new, repeating the story from the beginning.
Example: the agent offers a video call inside the chat; one tap later the member is face to face with the same agent and the chat stays open. Product screens; illustrative.
- 76%of consumers worldwide would choose a company that lets them use text, images and video in the same thread without restarting.5
- 58%of U.S. consumers who thought they were chatting with a bot said they did not get the help they needed, vs. 21% of those who thought they were talking to a person.12
What good looks like
- Agents can move a chat to voice or video in one step
- The chat history stays in place, and the member keeps the same agent
- A caller can show the agent a screen or document without hanging up
- The whole interaction is recorded and reported as one
One approach: how TrueEngage handles it
- Chat-to-video upgrade. The agent moves a chat to voice or video from the TrueEngage Agent App. The chat stays open.
- One record. Audio and video are recorded together in Genesys Cloud and cross-linked to the chat, so the interaction reports as one.
- PSTN-to-video upgrade (add-on). On a live call, the agent texts a one-time link. Video joins the same call with the same agent.
- Screen sharing (add-on). Two-way sharing, so the agent can guide a member through a form and annotate the screen.
What to measure
| Outcome | What changes | Track |
|---|
| Resolution | More issues solved in the first conversation. | First-contact resolution |
| Effort | Members explain their issue once. | Repeat contacts within 7 days |
| Efficiency | Complex issues take less back-and-forth. | Handle time for upgraded interactions |
In use today A global appliance brand upgrades messaging to video for faster verification, and a UK local authority moves callers to video without restarting the call.
03 · Specialists for every branch
Member moment 03
Many members still visit a branch for complex conversations. Staffing a mortgage specialist, a business lender and a card expert at every location can be impractical, especially for smaller credit unions, and teller employment is projected to fall 13% between 2025 and 2035.13 At the same time, many credit unions plan to open or repurpose branches.
Example: a TrueEngage video kiosk in a credit union branch. Illustrative composition around a product screen; Maple & Main Credit Union is fictional.
- 62%of credit union executives surveyed plan to open new branches in the next year; 58% plan to repurpose locations.14
- 69%of customers at institutions offering video tellers say a remote teller feels just like an in-person one.15
What good looks like
- Members can reach a lending or account specialist from any branch
- Routing by product, so members reach the right specialist the first time
- A callback option when the wait is long
- Branch video calls held to the same quality standards as phone calls
One approach: how TrueEngage handles it
- Video kiosk. A tablet or freestanding kiosk, the software side of an interactive teller machine, connects the member to a remote specialist by voice or video.
- Product-based routing. A member who taps Mortgages reaches the mortgage queue.
- Callback and feedback. The kiosk offers a callback on long waits and a short survey after the call.
- Standard calls. Kiosk calls arrive in Genesys Cloud as standard calls: queued, routed, recorded and reported.
What to measure
| Outcome | What changes | Track |
|---|
| Coverage | Specialist access at every location. | Specialist sessions per branch |
| Speed | Members reach expertise without a return visit. | Wait time to a specialist |
| Experience | Remote help that members rate well. | Post-call feedback scores |
In use today The same kiosk architecture connects shoppers in an APAC telco's retail stores to remote experts.
04 · Advice by appointment
Member moment 04
Advice is closely linked to member satisfaction, and demand for it is growing. J.D. Power found that credit unions communicate more often about products and features than about topics linked to higher member satisfaction, such as financial advice.2 Booking time with a loan officer or advisor can still depend on email and personal calendars, outside the contact center.
Example: a TrueEngage scheduled video meeting booked from a credit union website. Product screen plus illustrative confirmation.
- 26%of bank customers are "very interested" in advice from their bank, up from 19% in 2021; 36% of under-40s are seeking it.16
- 18%of Americans would trust AI to make financial recommendations on its own.17
What good looks like
- Members can book advice appointments online, by topic
- Appointments go to the next qualified advisor, not one person's calendar
- Video that runs in a browser, with nothing to download
- Documents reviewed together on screen during the meeting
One approach: how TrueEngage handles it
- Online booking. Members choose a topic and a time slot and receive a confirmation email with a calendar invite.
- Queued at the slot. No advisor is reserved in advance. At the booked time, the meeting enters a queue for the first available advisor.
- Browser video. The link is active from 10 minutes before to 10 minutes after the slot.
- Screen sharing (add-on). Advisor and member can review documents and forms together.
What to measure
| Outcome | What changes | Track |
|---|
| Access to advice | More members get time with an advisor. | Appointments booked online |
| Attendance | Fewer missed appointments. | No-show rate |
| Capacity | Advisor time is spent advising. | Advisor utilization |
In use today A Latin American utility lets customers book video meetings with specialists from its website.
05 · Demand peaks without long holds
Member moment 05
Rate changes, payroll days, storms and tax season all drive spikes in contact volume. Hold times climb and members hang up. For many members, the phone is still the first choice when something is wrong, so peaks are exactly when service matters most.
Example: TrueEngage callback request with wait-time indicators and scheduled slots. Product screen plus illustrative rule panel.
- 58%of bank customers say their bank is too slow to respond when they need help.18
- 46%call their bank first when they have a real problem, ahead of email, chat or a branch visit.18
What good looks like
- Members see expected wait times before they choose a channel
- Callback times offered when queues are long, with limits that protect staffing
- An asynchronous option for members who do not need to talk now
- Peak demand visible in reporting, so staffing plans improve
One approach: how TrueEngage handles it
- Wait-time indicators. Expected waits are shown before the member chooses a channel.
- Scheduled callback. Above a set threshold, instant callback is withdrawn and time slots appear, each with a capacity limit.
- Native callbacks. Each request is a standard Genesys Cloud callback on the chosen queue. Time zone is detected automatically.
- Asynchronous messaging. Members can switch to messaging, such as WhatsApp or Messenger, instead of holding.
What to measure
| Outcome | What changes | Track |
|---|
| Abandonment | Fewer members give up at peak times. | Abandonment rate during peaks |
| Promises kept | Callbacks happen when promised. | Callbacks completed in the booked slot |
| Workload | Demand is spread across the day. | Service level by interval |
In use today A European hotel group uses callback, wait-time indicators and channel shift to manage seasonal peaks.
06 · Voice and video inside the app
Member moment 06
Mobile apps are now the main way U.S. bank customers manage their accounts. When they need help, apps often send them out to a phone number, and the context stays behind. Digital experience now influences both where members open accounts and whether they stay.
Example: TrueEngage in-app voice and video. Left: illustrative Maple & Main app screen. Right: product screen of an in-app call.
- 31%of digital banking users have opened an account elsewhere after a bad digital experience.9
- 85%say digital experience quality is essential or important when choosing a new primary provider.9
What good looks like
- Voice and video available inside the app, alongside the phone number
- Calls reach the same queues and agents as every other channel
- Agents see the member's context when the call arrives
- An experience that matches the credit union's brand
One approach: how TrueEngage handles it
- In-app widget. The widget runs in an iOS or Android WebView, with a React Native snippet available.
- Calling over data. Members call over Wi-Fi or mobile data, without call charges or dialing a number. Data rates may apply.
- Same queues. In-app calls land in the same Genesys Cloud queues as every other call.
- Member context. The TrueEngage Agent App shows the agent the member's device, location and pre-call details.
What to measure
| Outcome | What changes | Track |
|---|
| Adoption | Members get help where they already are. | Share of contacts started in the app |
| Continuity | Fewer members leave the app to call. | App sessions followed by a phone call |
| Satisfaction | A better-rated digital experience. | Digital satisfaction and app ratings |
In use today A Gulf airline offers free in-app calling to travelers, and an Asian insurer embeds voice calling in its mobile app.
Measuring member experience across channels
Measurement
The challenge
Member experience investments are hard to defend without evidence. Connecting a website visit to a contact center outcome is difficult without shared data, and few banks measure technology returns at all.
- 18%of bank executives and directors say their bank measures ROI on technology projects.19
- +17%products held with their primary bank, on average, by customers who are advocates (global).8
One approach: how TrueEngage handles it
Example: the TrueEngage reporting module. Illustrative mockup with sample data; figures are not customer results.
- Reporting module. Ready-made reports on the widget funnel, usage by page, channel preference and demand by hour and day.
- Google Analytics 4 (add-on). Widget events and contact center outcomes, such as wrap-up codes, sent to GA4.
- Feedback forms (add-on). Post-interaction surveys synced to Genesys Quality Surveys, on the interaction record.
A starter measurement set
| Metric | What it tells you | Typical source |
|---|
| Contact rate by page | Where members look for help, and which pages generate questions | Web analytics with contact events |
| Abandonment rate | How many members give up before reaching a person | Contact center reporting |
| First-contact resolution | Whether the first conversation solved the issue | Wrap-up codes and repeat-contact tracking |
| Repeat contacts within 7 days | Member effort and unresolved issues | Contact center reporting |
| Post-interaction feedback | Member sentiment tied to a specific interaction | Surveys stored with the interaction record |
| Channel mix over time | How member preferences are shifting | Channel and widget reporting |
Record a baseline for each metric before a change goes live, then compare at 30, 60 and 90 days.
Shortening the time to value
Implementation
Many member experience plans stall at implementation, after the strategy is agreed. More than 80% of banks and credit unions plan to increase technology spending in 2026, yet Cornerstone Advisors reports "an ongoing disconnect between strategy and implementation."6
- 58%of credit union technology executives cite integrating new technology with existing systems as their most frequently cited challenge.20
- 67%of the same executives report a need for mid-level technical staff, such as developers and data scientists.20
Across industries the pattern is similar: in a global survey of small and mid-sized companies, the average time since respondents last added a new messaging channel was 14 months, and 80% cited a lack of unified functionality as a barrier.21
Questions to ask of any deployment
- Does it extend the contact center you already run, or replace it?
- Do core use cases require custom development?
- Do routing, recording and reporting stay in one place?
- Can business users change content and rules without an IT project?
- Is security documentation available for review?
- Can it roll out in phases, one member moment at a time?
How TrueEngage is deployed
- InstallA Genesys Cloud administrator installs TrueEngage from Genesys AppFoundry. The Genesys Cloud objects it needs are created automatically.
- ConfigureDesign, channels, schedules and page targeting are set in the TrueEngage panel. One script or a Google Tag Manager tag adds the widget to the website.
- Go liveInteractions arrive in Genesys Cloud queues and are routed, recorded and reported like any other interaction.
- Security. ISO/IEC 27001:2022, SOC 2, HIPAA, OWASP ASVS attestation and GDPR. Video media is not stored by TrueEngage. Documentation: trust.trueengage.com.
- Purchasing. Sold through Genesys partners and billed on the Genesys invoice or by the partner. No new vendor to onboard.
- Requirements. A Genesys Cloud org with BYOC Cloud telephony. In-app calling and video kiosks are available in the higher TrueEngage plans.
Start with one member moment
Where to start
Credit unions do not need to change everything at once. Starting with one member moment makes it possible to prove value before expanding. When the channels share one platform, each phase builds on the one before.
- Phase 1Open the front doorModern messaging, targeted contact options, wait-time indicators and scheduled callback on the website.Focus: access
- Phase 2Let agents seeChat-to-video and phone-to-video for service and lending teams, plus screen sharing.Focus: resolution
- Phase 3Reach members everywhereVoice and video in the mobile app, video kiosks in branches, and advice by appointment.Focus: reach
How personal is your service on every channel?
Ten questions, one point for every yes. Each maps to one of the six member moments, so a low score also tells you where to start. Tick the boxes and your band updates as you go.
From research to a first improvement
Next steps
Member expectations are changing quickly. Three practical steps turn the findings in this paper into a plan.
- ScoreUse the ten questions above to find the member moments with the largest gaps.
- BaselineChoose one moment, pick the matching metrics from the measurement set and record where you are today.
- See itCredit unions on Genesys Cloud can see every example in this paper live, on their own use case.
Take the whitepaper with you
Research cited
- American Bankers Association / Morning Consult, 2025 Preferred Banking Methods survey, fielded Oct 1–6, 2025 (n=4,403 U.S. adults), published Nov 17, 2025. aba.com/news-research/analysis-guides/preferred-banking-methods; bankingjournal.aba.com (Nov 2025).
- J.D. Power, 2026 U.S. Credit Union Satisfaction Study, Mar 31, 2026 (n=10,386 members of the 29 largest credit unions in the continental U.S.; fielded Jan 2025 to Jan 2026). jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2026-us-credit-union-satisfaction-study.
- J.D. Power, 2026 U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study, Mar 26, 2026 (n=107,059). jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2026-us-retail-banking-satisfaction-study.
- YouGov, "Click, tap, or talk to a human: how Americans really want to bank," C. Mark, Dec 4, 2025 (YouGov Profiles, U.S. adults, rolling data Nov 2024 to Nov 2025). yougov.com/en-us/articles/53636.
- Zendesk, CX Trends 2026, Nov 18, 2025 (6,182 consumers and 5,115 business leaders, 22 countries; all industries). prnewswire.com.
- Cornerstone Advisors, What's Going On in Banking 2026, Jan 29, 2026 (n=416 bank and credit union executives, $250M to $50B in assets). prnewswire.com.
- J.D. Power, 2026 U.S. Digital Banking and Credit Card Mobile App Satisfaction Studies, May 28, 2026 (n=18,028). jdpower.com/business/press-releases.
- Accenture, Global Banking Consumer Study 2025, 2025 (49,300 retail banking customers in 39 countries; global, not U.S.-only). accenture.com.
- Alkami Technology with The Center for Generational Kinetics, Tailoring the Banking Experience to Each Generation (2026 Generational Trends in Digital Banking study), Sep 9, 2026 (n=1,500 U.S. digital banking users, Census-weighted). prnewswire.com.
- Callahan & Associates, "Where Have All the Members Gone?" O. Shalabi, CreditUnions.com, May 18, 2026.
- American Customer Satisfaction Index, ACSI Finance Study 2026, Feb 24, 2026 (n=14,210); and ACSI blog, "The advantage Credit Unions lost and what comes next," Mar 10, 2026. theacsi.org.
- Consumer Reports, memo to the CFPB on customer service and digital chatbots, Dec 6, 2024 (survey of 2,035 U.S. adults, Feb 2024; customer-service chat in general, not banking-specific). advocacy.consumerreports.org.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Tellers (projections 2025–2035). bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/tellers.htm.
- Wipfli, State of the Credit Union Industry 2026, Jan 26, 2026 (n=100 credit union executives). wipfli.com.
- NCR Atleos, consumer survey on interactive teller machines conducted by Forrester, Aug 29, 2024 (n=1,213 U.S. bank and credit union customers whose institutions offer video-teller ITMs; vendor-commissioned). ncratleos.com.
- J.D. Power, 2025 U.S. Retail Banking Advice Satisfaction Study, May 28, 2025 (n=8,903 U.S. retail bank customers). jdpower.com/business/press-releases.
- TD Bank, Second Annual U.S. AI Insights Report, survey by Big Village, fielded Feb 18–26, 2026, published Mar 31, 2026 (n=2,504 U.S. adults). stories.td.com.
- Rivel Banking Research, reported by C. Wrinn in The Financial Brand, "Your response time is a persistent customer pain point," Oct 7, 2025 (bank customers; sample size not published). thefinancialbrand.com.
- Bank Director, 2025 Technology Survey, Sep 16, 2025 (n=141 bank executives and directors, banks under $100B). prnewswire.com.
- Jack Henry / FinXTech, 2025 Credit Union Survey, fielded Oct–Nov 2025 (n=52 senior credit union technology executives; small sample). jackhenry.com.
- MMDSmart (MessageWhiz), 2026 State of Digital Customer Communication Survey Report, dated Jan 2026, publicly released Feb 2026 (n=300 director-level and above leaders at companies of 50–1,000 employees in gaming, travel, retail, hospitality and financial services; U.S., EU, LATAM and MENA; fielded Nov 2025 by Global Surveys). prnewswire.com.
Statistics are reported as published by each source; sample sizes and scope are listed above. Some studies are global or cover all industries and are labeled as such. Product mockups are illustrative; Maple & Main Credit Union is a fictional institution, and dashboard figures are sample data, not customer results. Customer examples are described by sector. Screen sharing, phone-to-video upgrade, feedback forms and the Google Analytics integration are TrueEngage add-ons. This paper is published by TrueEngage, which works only with Genesys Cloud.
Questions people ask
Does this replace anything in our Genesys Cloud setup?
No. TrueEngage adds channels on top of the Genesys Cloud you run. Queues, routing, recording, reporting and agent desktops stay where they are, and every TrueEngage interaction appears in Genesys Cloud as a standard interaction. It is sold through your Genesys partner or account executive, or directly from AppFoundry, and billed on the Genesys invoice, so there is no new vendor to onboard.
What does our IT team have to do?
A Genesys Cloud administrator installs TrueEngage from AppFoundry and assigns the objects it creates to existing flows. The web team adds one script or a Google Tag Manager tag. The mobile app uses a WebView, and a React Native snippet is available. The requirement is a Genesys Cloud environment with BYOC Cloud telephony. In-app calling and video kiosks are included in the higher TrueEngage plans.
How is member data handled?
Genesys Cloud processes and stores interactions under the credit union's existing agreements. TrueEngage does not store video media. TrueEngage holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and SOC 2 reports, HIPAA confirmation, an OWASP ASVS attestation and GDPR documentation, published on its trust site at trust.trueengage.com.