Freedom First Credit Union ($1.1 billion assets) serves 60,000 members with a mission of “helping people prosper and helping communities thrive.” Since its humble beginnings in 1956 with $40 in assets, Freedom First has grown into a successful credit union that prioritizes financial well-being for all in their community. 

From Legacy Systems to Exceptional Experiences

Freedom First wanted to eliminate their legacy bank-by-phone system and provide an improved 24/7 service experience for callers. Although certain members appreciated the bank-by-phone process, members who called in with questions faced high wait times and were often transferred to an overflow provider who also covered after-hours for the call center. Not only did that rack up costs for Freedom First, it also left their on-site agents following up on requests that could not be handled by the provider.  

Freedom First’s executive vice president and chief operating officer Sarah Andrews turned to Posh to:

• Eliminate legacy bank-by-phone
• Provide 24/7 service without needing an after-hours provider
• Boost the accuracy of call transfers
• Eliminate the overflow provider, saving over $225,000 every year

“Our success really comes down to two things,” begins Andrews. “Our call center leadership and our partnership with Posh. That partnership is head and shoulders above our other vendors.”

Answering 25,000 Monthly Calls 

In September 2022, Freedom First replaced their full phone menu with Ginny, Posh’s Voice Assistant product. This implementation included core banking integration with Symitar Episys and the telephony system Genesys Pureconnect. As part of Posh's Partnership for Life promise, Posh continued to meet with Freedom First, providing insights and consultative guidance on potential optimizations and additional content based on market impacts. Posh and Freedom First's collaboration resulted in the addition of custom call flows and SMS messaging, resulting in an enhanced call experience.

Today, Ginny greets an average of 25,000 calls a month. She answers frequently asked questions over the phone with the option to provide additional information through SMS messages. If a member calls requesting to conduct a banking transaction, Ginny will first authenticate the member’s voice and account information with a member number and PIN, or provide an option for self-enrollment. Then, she will pass the full context and call transcripts along to the agent to pick up the conversation where Ginny left off.

“Ginny has allowed us to better serve our members by offering them 24/7 service, and ensuring they get to the right individual when they do need to speak to an employee,” explains Andrews. “This has allowed us to begin modifying our business model and remove additional costs associated with extended support hours.” In fact, Ginny has contained over 50 percent of all calls.

“To think we launched only one year ago and we've already implemented a number of custom call flows and SMS text messaging, while making many tweaks to our system,” continues Andrews. “That's a testament to the Posh team and their agility and partnership.”

Saving $225,000 from Sunsetting Annual Third-Party Costs

Since Freedom First initially implemented Posh last year, they have carefully monitored caller interactions and analytics before officially eliminating their traditional systems. In summer 2023, Freedom First officially sunset the legacy banking system and discontinued their overflow and after hours service. As a result, Freedom First will save over $225,000 annually. 

“It's always scary when making big changes this big,” says Andrews. “But it went so well. We’ve been so pleased with how Posh is working for us, and I’m incredibly impressed with the Posh team.”