Can being smaller (and more local) than your competition be a benefit?
BlueShore Financial (formerly known as the North Shore Credit Union) is a locally owned and managed credit union serving 40,000 client across the Greater Vancouver area. They are the forth largest credit union in BC, with with 13 branches and $5 billion in assets under administration.
BlueShore Financial came to us with the project of helping them better understand the needs and goals of their members. As with most credit unions, they compete with the larger banks and need to continually adapt to the changing needs of their members. The credit union is proud of its local roots and wanted to offer unmatched personalized service that met the needs of its changing member profile.
We scoured the data provided, interviewed key stakeholders in the organization and also conducted independent research to learn more about BlueShore Financial's core members. We then segmented the population based on key attributes that would define each group's unique needs from their financial institution.
Our work became part of the training program for all front-line staff. We also worked with BlueShore to help them define and build out their service offerings for their small business unit, serving the needs for this unique target audience group. The credit union went on to conduct an extensive rebrand and their commitment to offer a differentiated, boutique experience resulted in them creating a unique Financial Spa ® branch environment.