CU*Answers, the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based cooperative CUSO stressed to credit union leaders attending its recent CEO Strategies Week the importance of using member surveys online to demonstrate the value of ownership. This member self-service offering is provided free to any credit unions using its CU*BASE^® processing system.

By using this tool, a credit union utilizing the It’s Me 247 Online Banking system can immediately set up a survey to gather member input on key decisions that affect their credit union. Not only does this tool allow members to quickly answer targeted survey questions, but is also flexible enough to allow members to electronically vote during board elections—providing a simple yet very effective strategy for significantly increasing member voting participation! It may also be utilized to provide feedback on other key decisions, such as additional branch locations and new product offerings.

CU*Answers said credit unions are even able to set the start and end times of the survey, thus offering potential member incentives for responding to a survey by a certain time. For example, a credit union could offer a prize for member feedback received by 5 PM the same day the poll was configured. CU*Answers concluded by saying that surveys can be set up within minutes by the credit union.