Sarah Herrington’s compassion and dedication exemplifies Service 1 Federal Credit Union’s mission of “Member Driven. Community Focused.”

Recently, a member visited the $100 million asset credit union in Muskegon, Mich., because his wife had passed away and he needed to add his name as a guardian for his kids’ accounts.

The member came into the branch just as Sarah was about to leave for the day, approached her, and explained his situation. Sarah empathized deeply.

To spare the member the stress and confusion of retelling the heartbreaking reason for his visit, she decided to stay late and fulfill his request rather than refer him to a co-worker.

Sarah escorted the gentleman to her desk and spent over an hour updating his sons’ accounts while also setting up a representative payee account, which allows him to manage Social Security benefits payments for his children. Sarah created a safe and trusting environment where the member felt comfortable, and made it easy for him to discuss a sensitive matter.

“I wanted to treat the member with the same respect and attention that I would offer to my own family members,” Sarah says. “I wanted to provide him with the best service possible.”

The member was very grateful for Sarah’s assistance. “She never made him feel he was inconveniencing her to stay late,” says Service 1 Federal Branch Manager Jordana Dickinson. “She handled such a sensitive matter with care and detail, and the member was very pleased.”

The people-helping-people philosophy is alive and well in credit unions. We’d like to share your stories about front-line staff and branch managers going above and beyond the call of duty to provide outstanding member service. Please send your stories to cufrontline@cuna.coop.
 

This article first appeared in Credit Union Front Line Newsletter, the monthly sales and service newsletter for branch staff and their managers. Subscribe now to the print edition or PDF version.