Beyond the Branch: Columbia Credit Union Drives Efficiency and Growth with Digital-First Service

A New Era of Member Expectations

Traditionally, getting personalized financial service has meant a trip to the branch. But today's members expect more: flexible, instant service, on their terms, no matter where they are. Columbia Credit Union recognized this shift. It knew that to keep its promise of putting people first, the credit union needed to modernize how it connected with members and meet them exactly where they are.

This commitment to “people first” wasn't just limited to members; it extended to Columbia CU's own dedicated team members. The credit union sought to deliver a superior member experience while simultaneously crafting a better experience for its contact center team. 

Columbia CU envisioned a future where members could connect effortlessly through their preferred channel—be it chat, by phone, or other digital options—and team members could operate with unprecedented efficiency. This holistic digital interaction strategy would ultimately solidify the credit union's reputation for exceptional service in an increasingly digital world.

Fragmented Systems, Growing Friction

Seamless service hit a snag with the credit union’s disconnected legacy systems. Leslie Conboy, VP of Support Services at Columbia Credit Union, observed, “We realized that employees were experiencing challenges due to frequent transitions between multiple systems, which was leading to longer call times and added frustration.” This fragmented environment— switching between a phone system, separate chat vendor, core banking, and digital banking platforms—directly impacted efficiency and prolonged call times

Beyond operational frustrations, leadership lacked critical insight. The previous phone system offered limited reporting making it difficult to manage queues effectively. Managers couldn't gain a real-time pulse on queue performance or accurately track historical data, hindering their ability to make informed adjustments and measure performance.

Members felt the strain, too. Increasingly frustrated with a complicated phone tree, they voiced their preference for additional ways to connect with their credit union. As Conboy explained, “People want quick and convenient service, not long hold times—but without easy-to-access digital channels, they have no choice but to wait.” This disconnect often led to members hanging up if they couldn’t get immediate help, only to call back later, which led to artificially inflated call volumes. 

Columbia CU knew it was at a critical inflection point; as Conboy summed it up: "We grew out of what we previously had and needed a solution that was going to help bring us into the future.”

A Unified Digital & Voice Approach

When Columbia Credit Union first started looking for a solution, it was just looking to replace its existing chat vendor. But as Conboy explored Glia's capabilities, it became clear this was about so much more than just chat. “I initially saw this as just a new chat feature," Conboy reflected, “I soon realized it was about creating a seamless, integrated experience. What I truly needed was a comprehensive strategy for member interactions, not just a standalone digital tool.” This pivotal realization changed everything: shifting the focus from a single tool to a truly comprehensive digital-first approach.

Connecting with Members Where They Are

Columbia Credit Union's first step was implementing Glia Digital in April 2022. It integrated seamless chat within its digital banking, mobile app, and website, addressing the growing member desire for digital communication beyond traditional channels.

Expanding Availability with Automation

To expand availability and intelligently handle routine inquiries, Columbia CU then introduced the Glia Virtual Assistant (GVA). This AI-powered virtual assistant provides instant, 24/7 answers, guides members to self-service options, or smoothly transfers more complex interactions to live team members. With the GVA available on its public website, authenticated through digital banking, and in the mobile app, members would be able to access around-the-clock support without needing to be connected with a live agent.

Centralizing the Contact Center Experience

A year after implementing Glia Digital, Columbia CU implemented Glia Voice to replace its legacy phone system that was not designed for the contact center's unique needs. Unifying Glia Digital and Glia Voice created the centralized hub Columbia CU envisioned, allowing team members to operate smoothly across all channels and providing leadership with better visibility and reporting.

Seamless Experiences for Every Member

When Columbia CU introduced Glia to its members, the days of frustrating phone trees and limited communication options vanished. This wasn't just an upgrade; it was a transformation of how members connect with their credit union.

The credit union dramatically expanded how and when members could get help by launching the Glia Virtual Assistant (GVA), affectionately known as "River." It ushered in a new era of accessibility, ensuring members find answers and assistance whenever they need it, day or night. Need help with a new debit card at midnight? River is there. Fraud concern at 2 AM? Financial emergencies don’t wait for business hours, and now, neither does receiving assistance.

And when a member's inquiry does require a human touch, members are seamlessly transitioned to a live team member who already possesses the full context of their prior interaction, ensuring that those frustrating, repetitive "tell me your story again" moments are a thing of the past. The result? Members spend less time repeating themselves and more time focused on resolving their issue.

Recognizing that many members still prefer to call, Columbia Credit Union also significantly improved the phone experience. Gone are the days when members would call into the credit union, hang up, and then call back when they weren’t immediately connected with an agent. By harnessing Glia Voice’s Call-Back feature, callers can now request a call back instead of waiting on hold. 

Enhanced reporting capabilities allow leadership to actively manage and adjust queues in real-time to accommodate call volumes. As Conboy explains: “Managing wait times effectively is a key measure of our success. We differentiate between members waiting on hold and those comfortable with a callback, allowing us to adjust queue priorities hour by hour and ensure more agents are available when needed.” This proactive management has paid off: average wait times for members on hold decreased by 30%, and for those opting for a call-back, average wait times improved by 21% year-to-date.

These improvements directly translate to higher satisfaction. Columbia Credit Union’s impressive 92% First Call Resolution score is a “significant success indicator,” according to Conboy, reflecting members' confidence that their problem is solved in that first interaction. Further solidifying member satisfaction is an 83% transactional NPS, meaning the vast majority of members would recommend Columbia Credit Union’s service after connecting with its contact center. By integrating automation and seamless journeys across voice and digital, Columbia Credit Union has created a truly frictionless experience that elevates member satisfaction.

This commitment to member-centric engagement not only delights those Columbia CU serves, but also creates a more streamlined, effective environment for its dedicated team members.

Empowering Agents for Elevated Efficiency

By embracing a unified, AI-enhanced interaction strategy, Columbia Credit Union made a real difference in the daily lives of its team members, boosting efficiency and freeing them up for more meaningful interactions with members.

A Centralized, Streamlined Workflow

With Glia’s ChannelLess® platform, Columbia CU’s agents now work from one central hub, gaining clear visibility into all interactions. The result? Agents spend less time fumbling with technology and more time building relationships and focusing on problem-solving. 

This shift significantly boosted agents’ availability, improving from 65% in March 2024 to 73% availability in April 2025. Agent availability is a critical metric for Columbia CU: higher availability means representatives are ready to take calls more frequently, leading to shorter wait times and quicker resolutions for members.

Higher Volume, Same Headcount

A major win for efficiency comes from Columbia Credit Union's strategic use of the Glia Virtual Assistant (GVA). “River” efficiently resolves over half of member inquiries without agent intervention, boasting an impressive 94% Understanding Rate and a 51% Containment Rate. By deploying River to automate routine inquiries, team members are available for complex issues and troubleshooting. And when an inquiry does require being transferred to an agent, agents can see the prior interaction context so they can get straight to the heart of the inquiry.

Further enhancing efficiency, Columbia Credit Union now leverages Glia’s Multi-Engage capabilities, a true game-changer that allows agents to handle multiple chat conversations concurrently. The impact? “We've kept the same number of reps but are handling far more chat engagements, allowing us to assist more members faster while meeting their expectations,” shares Conboy.

While call volume has remained largely consistent, Columbia CU views this as a success. It indicates that members are adopting digital channels for routine questions, allowing the credit union to continue engaging with members on more complex topics that truly require a conversation. This highlights a substantial move to lower-touch digital channels, allowing the contact center to absorb higher interaction volumes more efficiently.

The numbers confirm this powerful shift: Combined digital communications grew by 62% from 2022 to 2024. Looking ahead, Columbia CU projects even stronger digital adoption across these channels: 

• Combined digital communications: Projected to increase by 42% from 2024 to 2025, annualized.
• Agent-assisted chat interactions: Projected to increase by 33% from 2024 to 2025, annualized.
• GVA interactions: Projected to increase by 61% from 2024 to 2025, annualized.

The Digital Blueprint for Uninterrupted Service

Perhaps the most compelling testament to Columbia Credit Union's success came during an unexpected and significant crisis. When its main phone auto attendant experienced a full-day outage, the Glia platform proved critical for business continuity. 

In response to the outage, Columbia Credit Union sprang into action. It worked quickly with its marketing team to get a prominent banner on its website and mobile app, directing members to the Glia “Let's Connect” bubble. This ingenious move allowed members to completely bypass the downed phone system and initiate audio engagements or other interactions directly to the queue through Glia’s connection.

The outcome was nothing short of remarkable. On the day of the outage, Columbia Credit Union achieved the following: 

• Successfully handled 1,073 engagements, including 830 queued audio engagements 
• Maintained an impressive 91.24% answer rate 
• Received zero member complaints 

This quick thinking and digital agility prevented what Leslie Conboy described as a "major service interruption" for the following days, as the bulk of the volume was managed during the outage itself. Members, often unaware of the underlying technical issues, simply adapted.

Reflecting on the outage, Conboy shared: “I'm proud of how we creatively utilized technology to maintain strong support. We've proven that we no longer rely solely on our auto attendant.” This incident didn't just showcase rapid crisis management; it solidified Columbia Credit Union's strategic advantage, ensuring uninterrupted member service and exposing some members to alternative digital channels they might not have used otherwise, potentially influencing future engagement behavior

By unifying its contact center operations and embracing intelligent automation, Columbia CU's experience offers clear proof of digital adoption success, demonstrating how financial institutions can leverage these solutions to build stronger relationships and confidently face any challenge the future may hold.

Power Your Digital Transformation with Glia

As Columbia Credit Union partners with Glia to unify member service in the digital age, we’re here to help your institution chart its own course forward. Reach out today to discover what your institution can do with the fully connected Glia Interactions Platform.

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