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IBT Enterprises Helps Frankenmuth Credit Union Ring Up Exceptional Customer Service

ATLANTA – May 7, 2009 – As the saying goes, good things come in small packages. In the case of Frankenmuth Credit Union, small was exactly what they wanted.

In 2008, to better serve its members, Frankenmuth chose to expand into a channel they had not previously utilized – a grocery store. The credit union chose to build two branches inside Meijer stores – a 319 square-foot facility and an 891 square-foot facility. Frankenmuth selected design and construction firm IBT Enterprises for the project.

Established in 1964 and community chartered in 1969, Frankenmuth Credit Union operates seven brick-and-mortar branches in four Michigan counties. The credit union recently expanded its reach opening two branches in Meijer stores in Birch Run and Essexville, Michigan.

Frankenmuth Credit Union is headed by Vickie Schmitzer, a 30-year Frankenmuth employee who has served as CEO for the past eight years. As Frankenmuth Credit Union’s third employee, Schmitzer has witnessed the growth of Frankenmuth over the years. Her knowledge of the industry and ethical approach to business have led to the credit union’s success and has established a strong culture among the credit union’s employees.

“In-store locations offer additional convenience to members allowing them to complete their banking in the same location as their grocery shopping,” said Schmitzer. “Co-locating a credit union with a retail store also provides members greater flexibility in their schedule. The Birch Run and Essexville branches allow members to do their banking after work or on Saturdays and Sundays when a traditional branch is closed.”

IBT Enterprises provides its customers with turnkey solutions for their design and construction needs. Tasked with completing the two in-store facilities in a two-month period, IBT Enterprises’ team of expert, in-house general contractors had no time to waste.

The projects were not only to be completed in a short period of time, but due to the facilities’ in-store locations, the branches could not be constructed during Meijer’s business hours. IBT Enterprises minimized customer impact by following a nocturnal project schedule that worked around the store’s operating hours — 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

“IBT Enterprises’ staff went above and beyond to simultaneously complete both projects in our two-month timeframe,” said Schmitzer. “They were able to deliver a space that is a fraction of the size of our traditional branch locations, yet provides all the services our members need. We could not have asked for a better experience or a better finished project.”

In addition to design services, Frankenmuth Credit Union called on IBT Enterprises to conduct employee training. With more than 20 years of in-store training expertise, IBT Enterprises ran employees through a variety of training scenarios – from efficiently balancing multiple members’ needs at once to interaction with Meijer customers.

“In-store locations are significantly different from brick-and-mortar branches,” said Carmen Cox, vice president and national accounts manager for IBT Enterprises. “In a brick-and-mortar facility your members see specific employees for certain services. In our Meijer locations employees have to be prepared to cater to all our members’ needs.”

IBT Enterprises was charged with training Frankenmuth’s staff to best serve members in their new facility. Aware that an in-store location runs differently than a brick-and-mortar facility, Frankenmuth Credit Union selected 20 seasoned employees who staff the Meijer locations. During a full-day training session prior to the facilities’ opening, IBT Enterprises’ training team worked with employees to determine how best to handle all member requests in the smaller facility as well as interact with Meijer customers.

“The Frankenmuth in-store credit unions act as the lobby of the Meijer store,” said Schmitzer. “This requires our employees to understand how to engage with Meijer customers in a helpful and non-invasive way.”

To introduce Meijer customers, and potential Frankenmuth members, to the credit union IBT Enterprises and Frankenmuth Credit Union developed the “Golden Ticket program” to build awareness that the Frankenmuth branch was open.

As part of the program, Frankenmuth employees handed out tickets to shoppers encouraging them to visit the branch at their convenience to learn more about Frankenmuth’s services. The program was a great success with 75 percent of shoppers visiting the facility, and at least half opened an account or said they would come back to open one.

In two short months the Meijer store facilities were complete and the staff was trained to provide members an exceptional banking experience. When asked about future plans to expand into other in-store locations Schmitzer saw many benefits of doing so.

“In-store facilities provide an unbelievable opportunity to grow your business and help credit union members complete their banking at a convenient time and location,” said Schmitzer. “However, the right design team and training programs are needed to achieve success. Through our partnership with IBT Enterprises, we gained two great facilities and learned how to effectively operate smaller in-store credit unions, and both have had a big contribution to our success.”

About Frankenmuth Credit Union
Frankenmuth Credit Union was organized in 1964 by the employees of Carling Brewing Company so they had access to a financial institution that believed in the promise of people helping people. Today Frankenmuth Credit Union has more than 22,000 members and serves anyone that lives, works, worships or was educated in the Michigan counties of Saginaw, Tuscola, Bay or Genesee. Frankenmuth Credit Union has 10 branch locations conveniently located for its members and its focus, just like 1964, is still people helping people. For more information about Frankenmuth Credit Union, visit www.frankenmuthcu.org.

About IBT Enterprises, LLC
IBT Enterprises, an IBT Holdings company, is a leading source of forward-thinking design for the financial services and specialty retail industries. During its 24-year history, the company has consulted to more than 190 retail and 550 financial services clients on the development of thousands of workspaces. IBT Enterprises offers a comprehensive range of integrated services, including retail distribution strategy, market research, space planning, design and construction, performance training, and coaching. IBT Enterprises is a certified Woman Owned Business Enterprise and a member of the U.S. Green Building Council. For more information about IBT Enterprises visit www.ibtenterprises.com.