Transformation | A follow-up

Well, it’s been a while since I last sat down to write one of these blogs. A lot has changed – some good, some bad – and I’m excited to relaunch our podcast and this blog because they’re more relevant now than ever. It’s no secret that Alberta is experiencing some tough times right now. From the pandemic to the changing industrial and economic climate, Albertans need a little hope. Even more than that, we need vision.  

The truth is, Albertans are hurting. We’re experiencing the mental health toll of the pandemic – perhaps greater than anywhere in the country. At the same time, we’re in the middle of a significant economic transition. It’s important to acknowledge Alberta’s pain, because like I wrote last time: transformation is rarely comfortable – but it’s necessary to ensure our continued prosperity. And perhaps, this discomfort is something not experienced often enough.  

Over the last month, Connect First felt the discomfort of transformation ourselves – and so did our members. As our province, our industries and our customers grow and evolve for the next decade; it’s imperative that we, as a credit union, do too. It’s not enough for us to just continue to meet our members’ needs – we need to foresee and exceed what they’ll want in the future and be ready for it. This transformation isn’t easy, but it’s as necessary for our business as it is for everyone else. 

Over the last two years, we have been working towards unlocking a whole new world of opportunity for our members and credit union through a necessary system conversion. New banking system, new digital platform, new app, and new ancillary platforms. In the spirit of meeting our members’ needs as quickly and comprehensively as possible, we decided to do it all at the same time. It was a bold and brave decision – perhaps even more ambitious than we even realized at the time. 

If I am being completely real here, I must admit it didn’t go perfectly and for a handful of members, for a while it just didn’t go well. And at times it was very uncomfortable for everyone. What amazed me was how we found strength through the struggle. Our employees stepped up in ways I have not seen before in my 25+ year career. I witnessed a resilience in leaders that I found inspiring.  And, I learned a few things along the way.  

First, I discovered a great deal about the strength of the great employees of Connect First. In the face of overwhelming adversity, together we stepped into discomfort, and leaned in to find member-focused solutions. Hundreds of employees were there when our members needed us most – stepping out of their day job to jump on the phone, respond to emails, reach out to members and help us to overcome the struggle we were in. In branches and in our contact centre, employees put on smiles and held on to a positive attitude for our members even when they felt beaten down or just under tremendous pressure. It was hard work, but it was all for our members. We bonded, we adapted daily, and we overcame. 

Second, I was reminded how even with the greatest preparation – unexpected circumstances arise. To take on a transformation as meaningful as ours, we always knew there was some element of risk to the launch. The teams went through an exhaustive quality assurance and user acceptance process. Thousands upon thousands of cases tested. Sometimes, you just can’t simulate the real world with any test. As we look to the future and build a credit union for the 2020’s, we get to learn from the weaknesses identified in our current system – one such weakness that I’m talking about was one we didn’t see coming – the ability to effectively manage the volumes of calls that were coming in.  

Third, in times of stress and struggle, it is okay to ask for and accept support.  Fortunately, when our contact centre was overwhelmed we were able to bring in SureCall, another local Alberta organization to assist with call volumes. Within days we had the infrastructure and support in place to add dozens of new members to the team. And the fact that we could find what we needed right here at home is a testament to what Alberta has to offer, and the opportunities that lie ahead for a much more diversified and prosperous province. 

I’m a firm believer that challenges like these provide their own transformative experience. You learn what works, what doesn’t, what you can do differently and a lot about yourself and your organization in the process. In other words, uncomfortable situations help us grow.  

As things stabilize here, we are again reminded why we did this work. It was for our members and for Albertans. This was the foundational work required to build the in-branch and digital experience that is integral to assisting Albertans over the next decade.  Not to get too techy here, but we now have a world-class, cutting-edge digital experience that was completely impossible with our old technology.  Our technology stack is one that we can build on so that we can bring the evolving and latest digital experiences that members will come to expect in the years ahead. This was a massive step forward for our organization and our members.  

Technology and the power of digital is transforming business. But the experience we have just gone through reminds me how important real human interaction is to creating the best possible experience for our members and Albertans. To be successful, technology and people need to come together as even the most advanced technology in the world cannot show true empathy and understanding when members need it most. For us as a credit union, it will be our people that will always set us apart even if we have the latest and greatest technology available to our members. 

Too often we think about transformation in terms of the tools we use and the services we offer, but perhaps not enough about what it means for us together as a team. Moments like this are transformative for our organization, and I’m grateful for that opportunity to evolve and for every employee who pitched in. 

When I sat down for my last blog post and we talked about the necessary discomfort of transformation, I didn’t expect to follow it up with a directly related personal experience. But transformation isn’t just a theoretical concept here. It’s something that we are in the midst of, just like many Albertans and Alberta based businesses across this province. It really was just a matter of time before we experienced it too. And just like Alberta, we will come out stronger on the other side. 

And with this inspiration, its time for me to get back to talking about What’s Next Alberta...