Growth & Lending

Letterkenny CU experience 170% increase in Kiosk usage

Summary

When Letterkenny Credit Union introduced their kiosk in-branch in 2016, their main objective was to reduce footfall at the counter for standard transactions. The strategy behind this was to give their staff more time for processing loan applications and marketing new services to their members.

Little did they know, just 4 years later, the kiosk would also become an essential tool for social distancing in-branch.

Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in March 2020, staff at Letterkenny Credit Union have increased their kiosk transactions by 170%. This not only allows them to maintain their vital services, it also helps to keep their members and staff safe during this pandemic.

Staying safe during a pandemic

Although Letterkenny offer digital member services such as online banking, they still have a relatively large footfall of members who carry out in-branch transactions. And, as they provide a vital financial service for their community, the current pandemic hasn’t diminished this footfall.

To help ensure the safety of both their staff and members, the Credit Union have insisted that members use their kiosk to carry out standard transactions, including:

  • Express & full lodgements of cheques and cash
  • Cash withdrawals from specific accounts and balances
  • Statement requests
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Thanks to the Kiosk, our members are still able to come in branch and make their normal transactions. Those who have typically carried these out at the counter are getting used to this new way of operating, and they don’t need to have IT skills to use them either!”

Gordon Randles

CEO

Letterkenny Credit Union

An extension of the team

The staff have fully embraced the kiosk in their branch and see it as a valuable tool for them. They have put measures in place to keep members safe including regularly cleaning the kiosk and ensuring that members sanitise before and after they use it.

The staff are also on hand to educate members on using the kiosk should they need any assistance. e.g. If a member forgets their details, they have the choice to log in to the kiosk through the existing banking app using Touch ID and scanning a QR code to access their accounts.

“The kiosk has become an extension of the team. The staff recognize that it is keeping them safe during this pandemic by facilitating social distancing. They have really embraced the Kiosk and are taking an active role in encouraging members to use it, which has been key to its success”

– Gordon Randles – CEO at Letterkenny Credit Union

Creating time efficiencies

The kiosk also offers great time efficiencies for staff. In March 2020, Letterkenny’s kiosk carried out an average of 70 transactions a day. With an average counter transaction taking around 3 minutes, that is a saving of over 1 hour per day! This reduction in manual processing means staff are free to speak to members who need more time for things such as new loan applications and financial advice.

Gordon Randles , CEO at Letterkenny Credit Union says “Although basic transactions, such as withdrawals and statement requests, only take minutes, this can really add up if you have high volumes of people at the counter. The kiosk allows our staff to focus on helping those members who need more time with them”.

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Beyond the pandemic

The uptake in kiosk transactions has encouraged Letterkenny to keep promoting the kiosk as a vital service for their members. Infact, CEO Gordon Randles believes that they will continue to make more use of the kiosk beyond the current crisis.

“Although basic transactions, such as withdrawals and statement requests, only take minutes, this can really add up if you have high volumes of people at the counter. The kiosk allows our staff to focus on helping those members who need more time with them”.

Results

In March 2020 alone, there were over 470 transactions amounting to over €53,000 through their kiosk. This proved that not only has the kiosk kept members and staff safe at Letterkenny Credit Union, but that their member services were not disrupted.

  • Average monthly transactions have increased 170% in 2020 to date, compared to 2019.
  • In January-April 2020, money transacted through Letterkenny’s kiosk has surpassed that of 2019’s entire kiosk transactions.
  • March 2020 saw over 470 transactions amounting to over €53,000
  • Staff are saving over 1 hour per day, allowing them to focus on other member services.
  • Provides their members and staff with a safer in-branch experience during the current pandemic.
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Thanks to the Kiosk, our members are still able to come in branch and make their normal transactions. Those who have typically carried these out at the counter are getting used to this new way of operating, and they don’t need to have IT skills to use them either!”

Gordon Randles

CEO

Letterkenny Credit Union

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