Unique Design of Portage MACU Reflects Commitment to Customer Service

Unique Design of Portage MACU Reflects Commitment to Customer Service

These days, the concept of customer service has, in the eyes of many, decreased as businesses grow and become more disconnected from the people who buy their goods and use their services. At Members Advantage Credit Union (MACU), that notion is at the forefront of how they operate and it can be seen in the innovative way that their Portage location is approaching banking and making sure that every member of their credit union is taken care of each time they walk through their door.

Upon entering the Portage Branch of MACU the first thing you’ll notice is that it doesn’t resemble a “traditional” financial institution, where teller windows and lines are the main focus and destination.

“It’s different here,” said Office Manager, Devra Leonard, who has been working in banking for nearly twenty years and with MACU for just over a year.

“We don’t actually have a teller window like other financial institutions where you would have a typical teller line and then member services,” said Leonard. “Here, we have what are called ‘pods’ where you would actually stand right next to me to do your transactions.”

The difference might not seem like much at first, but the idea of utilizing the ‘pod’ system has many advantages and creates a more intimate experience. Customers can be directly connected to all of the information about their account with the teller at their side to answer any questions they might have.

“It definitely makes things easier,” Leonard said. “When members have questions about their accounts, we just turn the monitor so they can see it and we can point things out to them. It gives us more one-on-one personal contact with them because we can work together to address any questions that they have.”

PMACU-2Another aspect of banking that has become more popular in recent years is online and mobile banking, and the ‘pod’ system serves as a valuable tool for MACU to use to assist members with setting up and navigating through their accounts.

“Many members appreciate assistance when it comes to setting up their online or mobile banking,” Leonard said. “I recently worked with a member who was having trouble setting up her accounts on her own. She stopped by the credit union, and I was able to walk her through it step by step. We are always more than happy to offer our members extra help to ensure managing their finances is as seamless as possible.”

While that hands-on customer service is an incredibly important part of what makes MACU so valuable to its members, the work they do and the connections they make in the community are also factors that make MACU so important in Northwest Indiana.

“We try to help out as much as possible in the community,” said Leonard. “The local schools do the Reality Store, and we’ll go in and work with the kids there. We donate to the Portage Township Food Pantry around Christmas time and we work a lot with the Portage Township YMCA as well. In our upcoming Portage shred day event, we will be hosting a donation drive for Lakeshore PAWS starting in May, and we will have an adoption event on June 11.”

PMACU-3“As part of our business development initiatives, I visit small businesses and let them know about all the benefits we offer," explained Leonard.

Members Advantage Credit Union is dedicated to the credit union philosophy of “People Helping People” and is open to anyone living or working in Lake, Porter and LaPorte County. They are locally owned and locally managed and are a part of Shared Branching, which allows members to access their home credit union at thousands of Shared Branching Credit Union Service Centers, such as Teachers Credit Union, LaPorte Community Credit Union, Allegius Credit Union and many more across Northwest Indiana and the United States.

To find out more about Members Advantage Credit Union, please visit MACU at https://www.macuonline.org/, service@macuonline.org, or stop in to one of their branches.