As the nearly 16,000 members of Bowling Green, Ky.-based-Service One Credit Union embark on their financial journeys, Director of Member Experience Elisabeth Lindsey is there to make these trips as smooth and seamless as possible. 

“My job is to see everything from the member’s perspective,” says Lindsey, who was named the CUNA Operations & Member Experience Council’s 2022 Rising Star. “My goal is to clear any bumps in the road that are in the way of members having the confidence to call Service One their primary financial institution.”

In the past, Lindsey has worked at national and community banks, and as a counselor at a juvenile detention center. When she relocated to Kentucky in 2019, she sought out an opportunity to build her career.

“I wanted to choose the right fit for me—an organization that aligned with my values,” she says. 

Lindsey found that at $266–million asset Service One. “It had good reviews and a positive image in the community.” 

She began as a call center representative and quickly embraced the credit union culture. Lindsey took the initiative to learn about all of the credit union’s departments, creating training guides for herself and other call center associates. 

Lindsey was promoted to member solutions center (call center) manager in 2021 and worked closely with the branch management team to streamline processes across locations. In January 2022, she was promoted to her current role. 

“Each position I have worked in has given me a unique perspective or taught me a lesson about what impacts our members on their journey with the credit union,” Lindsey notes. “The days when I get to turn an upset or angry member into a promoter of the credit union is the favorite part of my job. I like that my job is challenging. I enjoy seeing areas in the credit union grow and improve, and it makes me feel good to be part of that.” 

When the credit union recently acquired two new branches, Lindsey prepared a playbook, updated the intranet portal, and developed training, which ensured staff felt prepared and could confidently open new accounts. 

To date, Lindsey considers her greatest accomplishment at Service One to be transforming the call center into a full-service digital branch, transitioning it from a position of “where do I need to transfer you to” to one of “I can help you with that.” 

Staff handle an average of 1,000 calls a week and answer inquiries from a “voice of the member” email link and a secure messaging form on the website. The call center consistently receives high ratings in member surveys. 

Lindsey also appreciates the fact that Service One prides itself on being a learning organization. “There are not a lot of boundaries when it comes to learning something new. All you have to do is ask or express an interest.”