Sometimes, the fastest way to get an answer isn’t through an app – it’s picking up the phone or walking into a branch.

That simple truth is shaking up credit unions and community banks in 2025. Consumers don’t just want digital convenience, they want it without losing the personal touch that makes banking human. 

According to Deloitte’s 2025 Banking & Capital Markets Outlook, 65% of consumers expect a hybrid experience, and 70% stay loyal to institutions that get it right. For credit unions and community banks, that’s both a challenge and an opportunity. Branches are no longer just brick-and-mortar locations, they’re becoming “phygital” spaces, where every interaction, online or in person, is fast, intelligent, and genuinely personal.

At this year’s Eltropy Emerge User Conference, Mike Lawson of CUBroadcast sat down with Rob White of Tri-County Area Federal Credit Union and Adrienne Fischer of STCU to explore how their branches are navigating a digital-first world without losing that human touch. 

They shared strategies, stories, and insights showing that the future of banking isn’t just digital, it’s smart, human-centered, and everywhere your consumers need it to be.

Take the plunge into the full conversation!

The Digital-Physical Tipping Point

Q: How are you connecting digital tools with your branch strategy?

Rob White: We actually launched digital banking when COVID hit. At that time, we introduced appointment management to encourage consumers to schedule visits. Since then, we’ve built on different products to enhance the consumer experience. 

We’re also building on a network of local, small, branded branches, and our consumers are loyal; they want to come see us. Since then, our branch traffic has bounced back close to pre-COVID levels, and digital products have only enhanced that experience.

Adrienne Fischer: We’ve transitioned into Eltropy’s unified platform after they acquired POPi/o, and we’re centralizing lending in our branches. So, we don’t have lending officers physically in the branches anymore. You come in for a loan and go to a STCU Connect room in the branch and are able to meet with a lending expert via video, which makes services more accessible. We’ve also started appointment scheduling for mobile users in our locations, which makes staffing easier and more flexible.

Serving Consumers Efficiently

Q: Do your consumers start the process in the digital realm and then come into the branch to finish? Do you see that scenario?

Rob White: We do text, we do chat, and we do video. Most of the time, issues are resolved through those channels. Consumers can handle it. If they can’t handle it that way, we’ll pick up the phone and call them, or do a video call to talk with them. We want to save them a trip to the branch. They’re reaching out because they want convenient, easy experiences, so if we can help them without making them come in, we’ll use one of our digital channels to do that.

Q: How do you manage the branch experience while keeping it personal?

Rob White: At our lending branch, we don’t have a physical lender at each location. So when consumers come into that lending branch, we have them either do a phone call down to a lender or a video call, which would enhance them to be face-to-face and more personal. So we’ve gone down that road.

Adrienne Fischer: Video banking has changed everything for lending. Our retail folks do a great job, but it’s a more entry-level position, so you’re constantly managing that training process. Then, they go to the back office, and then they go somewhere else. Video banking has helped ensure we have the appropriate knowledge with our employees, especially in that area.

Now, while we have members in that room, we’re also focusing on what other products and services we can offer, really working toward that balanced portfolio with the consumer. You’re trusting us with your loan products. Why would you not trust us with your whole banking? All this other stuff.

Expanding Reach, Empowering Teams

Q: As a large credit union with branches across Washington, how has video banking helped you serve rural communities more effectively?

Adrienne Fischer: We’ve had the opportunity to acquire and integrate with some of the banks that have left those areas. We’ve been able to step in and really be there for the community. That’s what credit unions do: they step in and help out when others move out. We’re more than happy to do that. Specifically for video, it gives us the opportunity in those communities to offer investment services, real estate options, and use that platform to build out product suites in rural areas that might not otherwise have access to those services. 

Q: How are your staff benefiting from these digital tools and branch innovations?

Rob White: I oversee a team of 23. We don’t have a call center, so internally, about 14 consumer service reps handle walk-ins, phone calls, chat, and texting for consumers. They’re engaged, they have to be. But you have to reinforce that they’re not being replaced. It’s just another tool to serve our consumers. The human factor is still essential.

We also have an AI chatbot through Eltropy. It scans our website for answers and handles some consumer questions. If it can’t answer, the consumer speaks to a live rep during working hours. It also provides 24/7 access; if it’s 8 or 10 PM and someone has a question, the bot is there. If unanswered, a message waits for us in the morning, so we can call them back right when we open. It frees our team to focus on more complex or personal interactions.