The credit union invests heavily on living up to this service promise. There are obvious technology investments such as online banking, billpay and instant issue Visa Debit Cards that make doing business with Gulf Coast Educators easier. There are other investments such as the Allpoint ATM network that may not be as well known. Our members have access to over 30,000 surcharge free ATMs in the US due to our participation in the network.
The largest investment your credit union makes in order to make it easy to do business with us is our people. Our call center staff continually put up some great numbers in terms of the numbers of call they answer each day so our members talk to person and don't get stuck in a phone system nightmare where it doesn't matter which buttons you push, you'll never get to talk to a human. Our MIS department keeps our systems up and running so that the tellers are able to process your transactions and our online services run almost uninterrupted. Our back office staff works hard and some of them early to make sure your direct deposits make it to your account before we even open our doors.
Our Pearland office doesn't have a drive thru but the employees there have been known to give curbside assistance to those who might have difficulties getting in and out of their vehicles. Each day, our employees try to make it easy for our members to take advantage of all the credit union has to offer. We encourage our members to let us know if there are other ways we could make it easier to do business with us.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Responding in a Timely Manner
Last year we introduced our service promises to our members. Visit https://www.gcefcu.org/mission.php for the complete list of service promises. If you ever feel that we are not living up to any of these, please let us know. It is important that we get feedback from our members.
In the coming weeks, we want to focus on our service promises and let you know what you should expect from us and what we expect from our employees so that we live up to that service promise. This week, we focus on our promise to respond to your request in a timely manner.
As a part of this promise, employees are asked to reply to e-mails and phone calls within 4 business hours. We know there is nothing more frustrating than not getting called or e-mailed back. For this reason, we also try to respond to e-mails after hours and on weekends.
If you call us, you can expect a live person to answer the phone within 30 seconds. Our call center does a very good job of living up to this service promise. They consistently have good numbers to reflect their commitment to responding in a timely manner.
Now it is your turn. Let us know if you feel we respond in a timely manner.
In the coming weeks, we want to focus on our service promises and let you know what you should expect from us and what we expect from our employees so that we live up to that service promise. This week, we focus on our promise to respond to your request in a timely manner.
As a part of this promise, employees are asked to reply to e-mails and phone calls within 4 business hours. We know there is nothing more frustrating than not getting called or e-mailed back. For this reason, we also try to respond to e-mails after hours and on weekends.
If you call us, you can expect a live person to answer the phone within 30 seconds. Our call center does a very good job of living up to this service promise. They consistently have good numbers to reflect their commitment to responding in a timely manner.
Now it is your turn. Let us know if you feel we respond in a timely manner.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Take Time to Thank a Teacher
This week is teacher appreciation week and for us at Gulf Coast Educators FCU, it has special meaning. We really do appreciate the teachers for being such loyal members. We've bucked the trend and have remained true to our roots: serving the financial needs of teachers & employees of school districts.
It has further meaning for many of our employees who have family members in the teaching profession. We have several on our management team who have spouses or children who teach. So we hope you join us and honor those who teach our children.
A couple of years ago during teacher appreciation week, I visited my high school's website and found that a few of my influential teachers were still there. I sent them a quick e-mail to let them know how influential they were and thanked them for believing in me. So just in case they see this, thank you Harriet Reap for instilling confidence in my writing skills and Lorraine Day for believing in my leadership ability and nurturing that. I invite you to do the same and track down a teacher who has meant a lot to you and let them know. They will certainly appreciate it. I know Mrs. Reap & Mrs. Day did.
It has further meaning for many of our employees who have family members in the teaching profession. We have several on our management team who have spouses or children who teach. So we hope you join us and honor those who teach our children.
A couple of years ago during teacher appreciation week, I visited my high school's website and found that a few of my influential teachers were still there. I sent them a quick e-mail to let them know how influential they were and thanked them for believing in me. So just in case they see this, thank you Harriet Reap for instilling confidence in my writing skills and Lorraine Day for believing in my leadership ability and nurturing that. I invite you to do the same and track down a teacher who has meant a lot to you and let them know. They will certainly appreciate it. I know Mrs. Reap & Mrs. Day did.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Stay Politically Alert
There are a number of things that Congress is reviewing that may negatively impact credit union members throughout the country and then we have two issues that could greatly impact our region specifically.
Visit http://www.capwiz.com/tcul/issues/alert/?alertid=14104801 to learn about key issues that could affect your credit union and our ability to offer our members the best possible solutions.
In a time when jobs are at a premium, we can ill afford to lose one of the major employers in this area. Visit http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/6857710.html to learn more about how the proposed NASA budget could impact JSC and our region. Visit http://goboldlynasa.org/ to learn more about the impact of space exploration and how to get involved. The other major issue is school funding. Some local school districts have been forced to lay off employees to try to trim budgets. These two issues directly impact our membership.
We encourage our members to stay alert to theses issues and make their voices heard.
Visit http://www.capwiz.com/tcul/issues/alert/?alertid=14104801 to learn about key issues that could affect your credit union and our ability to offer our members the best possible solutions.
In a time when jobs are at a premium, we can ill afford to lose one of the major employers in this area. Visit http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/6857710.html to learn more about how the proposed NASA budget could impact JSC and our region. Visit http://goboldlynasa.org/ to learn more about the impact of space exploration and how to get involved. The other major issue is school funding. Some local school districts have been forced to lay off employees to try to trim budgets. These two issues directly impact our membership.
We encourage our members to stay alert to theses issues and make their voices heard.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Start the New Year Securely
Let's make 2010 a safe year. With identity theft and online fraud on the rise, we'd like to share a few simple tips to help you stay safe.
- You can obtain a free credit report from each of the three credit bureaus each year by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com.
We recommend that members only download one of the three and then four months later download the next one and so on. This is a great way for members to monitor their credit and minimize the effects of identity theft. - Reduce the amount of mail you receive which contains account numbers and other important information. The majority of identity theft still occurs via mail and printed documents. Many companies offer this information online. For example, your monthly statements are available online at most financial institutions and utility companies, including your credit union.
- Keep an up to date Internet security program running. The amount of malware has exploded and should one gain access to your system, it could give a hacker information to everything you type including usernames and passwords. If you are cost conscious, there are free alternatives available such as Microsoft Security Essentials.
- Educate yourself about the latest scams. The credit union's website has page that is updated but there are many sources to obtain this information such as the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Have a great suggestion that you would like to share? Either post it here or send an e-mail to info@gcefcu.org
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
To a Financially Happier & Healthier New Year
It is that time of year again. It is a time for reflection on what has been a tough year economically and one of many challenges. It is also a time to look ahead and make some resolutions. We prefer to look ahead to 2010 and find ways we can help you with your financial resolutions.
We've partnered with the BALANCE Financial Fitness Program. BALANCE services include money management and housing counseling, a debt repayment plan, credit report review, online financial education tools and a toll-free information line - all free to members.
We invite our members to call BALANCE toll free at 1-888-456-2227 and let them help you enjoy a finanically happier & healthier new year.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Threat to Member's Peace of Mind
The current political climate has caused a rash of potential and enacted legislation rushed through the system. It seems that anti banking sentiments have caused the pendulum to shift to the side of stricter legislation. The problem is that in the rush to pass this legislation, unintended side effects are not account for or thought through. One such issue currently being discussed is Courtesy Pay. Due to the practices of some greedy institutions, the whole concept of Courtesy Pay is in jeopardy.
Courtesy Pay provides members peace of mind because those that opt into our program know that we will pay any items that try to clear up to an aggregate amount of $500. There is a fee for this service but the item gets paid rather than returned to the merchant's financial institution. For example, if a member writes a rent check and by the time the check is presented and the member is short by $50, the credit union pays the item instead of retunring it. Not only can the member breathe easy, but the credit union has saved them the fee on the merchant side which in the case of most apartment complexes is well over $75.
Now, in the rush to create legislation, that feature may be under threat. If we did not have a Courtesy Pay program that the member could choose to opt into, lets look at what would have happened in the case of the rent check. The credit union would have returned the item and charged the normal NSF fee (ours is $20 which is among the lowest you can find). On top of that, the member would have to deal with the $75 plus fee of the apartment complex and might not be allowed to pay rent with checks in the future. Not only has the member lost money, but they then lose the time and convenience of not being allowed to pay with checks.
If you want to voice your opinion regarding this issue to our elected officials, we invite you to visit http://www.capwiz.com/tcul/issues/alert/?alertid=14104801&type=CO
Courtesy Pay provides members peace of mind because those that opt into our program know that we will pay any items that try to clear up to an aggregate amount of $500. There is a fee for this service but the item gets paid rather than returned to the merchant's financial institution. For example, if a member writes a rent check and by the time the check is presented and the member is short by $50, the credit union pays the item instead of retunring it. Not only can the member breathe easy, but the credit union has saved them the fee on the merchant side which in the case of most apartment complexes is well over $75.
Now, in the rush to create legislation, that feature may be under threat. If we did not have a Courtesy Pay program that the member could choose to opt into, lets look at what would have happened in the case of the rent check. The credit union would have returned the item and charged the normal NSF fee (ours is $20 which is among the lowest you can find). On top of that, the member would have to deal with the $75 plus fee of the apartment complex and might not be allowed to pay rent with checks in the future. Not only has the member lost money, but they then lose the time and convenience of not being allowed to pay with checks.
If you want to voice your opinion regarding this issue to our elected officials, we invite you to visit http://www.capwiz.com/tcul/issues/alert/?alertid=14104801&type=CO
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