Credit Unions emerge in top spot for Customer Experience for Fourth Consecutive Year

Credit unions have been voted Number One for Customer Experience in the 2018 CXi Ireland Customer Experience Report, taking the award for the fourth year running. This is the first time, anywhere in the world, that the same organisation has taken the award for four consecutive years. Killarney Credit Union joins 250 other credit unions across the Republic of Ireland in celebrating this outstanding achievement.

The CXi Ireland Report is an annual survey which asks consumers to rate their experiences of 156 brands across 10 different sectors. More than 2,500 customer experiences were evaluated and credit unions again emerged as the overall winners, being rated highest for empathy and for the commitment of their staff.

According to Mark Murphy, CEO from Killarney Credit Union

“We are delighted to receive this award for the fourth consecutive year. It marks the total commitment which our credit union personnel have to serving the needs of our members. Our members understand that all decisions are taken at local level, by people who will take time to understand their needs”.

Credit unions were singled out within the report for the powerful bond forged with members - and the fact that the relationship with members was built completely on trust. Michael Killeen, Chairman of the CX Company said the remarkable success of credit unions was down to the fact that they put their members at the centre of everything they do.

“Trust is at the heart of the relationship and they pride themselves on always acting in their members’ best interests. This is evident in the commitment of their staff and volunteers, who go above and beyond in their interactions with their members. Not surprisingly people rank them highest in scores for Empathy, Time and Effort”, said Michael Killeen.

The 2018 report highlighted the very significant gap which exists between people’s views of the customer experience offered by credit unions compared to the banks. Indeed, the leading bank within the survey was in a lowly 79th position.

Mark from Killarney Credit Union noted that despite the repeated success of credit unions within these awards, the credit union was not resting on its laurels.

“From our interactions with our members, it is clear that they want even more services from the credit union. With more and more of our members choosing to interact with us online, we are working hard to ensure that our excellent member experience also comes through via our online offerings. But our members can rest assured - however they choose to interact with us, there will always be someone on hand to deal with any queries they have. And all decisions within the credit union are made by people who take time to understand members’ needs.”