Hudson Valley Client Story

Established in 1963, Hudson Valley Credit Union (HVCU - $7 billion AUM) serves 12 counties in New York State. Their mission is to create successful futures for their members, staff, and communities, one relationship at a time. With a vision to create financial security and a better quality of life, HVCU staff live their core values every day to focus on the unique needs, problems, and challenges their members face. 

Hudson Valley Credit Union began reexamining member experience when they observed their Live Chat interaction volume increasing faster than they could hire and train new agents to their high standards. HVCU identified that many interactions consisting of repetitive questions could be answered with publicly available information on their website. Conversational AI was an opportunity to ease the volume of requests and allow agents to apply their skills in sales, empathy, and relationship building.

“The number of [high volume] repetitive interactions was an issue. We wanted to enable our members to have answers immediately without requiring live agent support thereby providing friction-free service,” said Steve Goodwine, Assistant Vice President of the Contact Center at Hudson Valley Credit Union.

Partner Considerations

Hudson Valley was exploring Conversational AI providers over multiple years, building the necessary organizational buy-in to proceed. The team focused on finding a solution that allowed their members to ask questions and receive immediate answers. 

Hudson Valley's list of partner criteria included:

• A best-in-class experience for credit union members
• Off-the-shelf ready with default intents for an immediate time to value 
• Easy to implement 
• Complete AI offerings including digital and voice capabilities 
• Technology that was built for easy integrations into existing systems
• Easy to use for members, improving the current member experience

Hudson Valley Chooses Posh 

During the partner selection, other vendors were considered along with Posh. Competing AI providers offered many “bells and whistles,” which sounded great at the beginning; however, after internal review, these features created more complexity without elevating the member experience. Those features were not banking-focused.

“[The product] would have been so much more complicated to implement and maintain. We are not seeing anyone asking for some of the features being offered. It would have been a lot of work with very little value,” Goodwine said.

Hudson Valley chose Posh, implementing the Digital Assistant for the ease of use, as well as the default intents, a focus and commitment to credit union needs, and voice capabilities for the future. Posh’s intent to integrate with the growing ecosystem of other solutions for CUs was also a big plus. 

Implementing Lee, The Digital Assistant

Posh worked closely with Hudson Valley and its partners, including the live chat vendor and the online banking provider to deploy Lee within HVCU’s website. The ability to add or edit Lee’s responses was a key win for the team.  

“Accessing technology in this space that doesn’t require a programmer to effectively use it and serve members is huge,” noted Goodwine. “We can shift so rapidly. If we send out a communication, five minutes later our assistant can answer questions about it. We don’t need to put in an IT ticket and wait for a programmer; we can quickly and easily put in the information ourselves.”

After some team discussion, HVCU named their assistant Lee. The team researched AI deployments and found a few similarities in the most successfully named bots, including never trying to hide that it was a bot. They curated interactions as human-like as they could. “Having a name for our ‘digital employee’ was part of making that interaction more human-like while acknowledging the advances technology can provide,” Goodwine said.

‍‍Lee Today 

‍Lee continues to see significant increases in usage, from both members and non-members. At the same, time Hudson Valley continues to see this channel grow, the need to add resources has stayed flat. They are able to handle more with less, providing members with information 24/7. 

“Agents are [feeling] happy chatbots are taking on interactions that require no skills. Our agents now enjoy more engaging conversations with members that go deeper,” Goodwine said. “They’re using their skills and are more engaged, so our agents are more satisfied with the work they’re doing. Happy staff make happy members.” 

Knowledge Assistant: Boosting Efficiency & Accuracy, Taking the Pressure off Agents

The addition of Knowledge Assistant empowers call center agents with quick and efficient access to information, leading to time savings per call, greater call-handling potential and headcount savings. Since deploying Casey, their generative AI-powered Knowledge Assistant, in the summer of 2023, HVCU has seen tremendous improvements in efficiency, employee satisfaction, and cost savings.

Casey addresses one of the most common challenges in call centers: providing agents with quick access to accurate information. By delivering instant answers, Casey eliminates time-consuming searches and reliance on peers, which were previously bottlenecks in HVCU’s processes.

“Knowledge Assistant allows our agents to ask a question and get the answer immediately,” says Goodwine. “There are no more bottlenecks, agents no longer need to ask peers or make a guess. It's no longer a scavenger hunt through 5,000 documents. The knowledge is now unlocked, it's right at their fingertips. We are increasing the accuracy and efficiency of responses, leading to a higher first call resolution.”

Driving Efficiency and ROI With Casey
With Casey, HVCU agents save 143 hours per month — time reinvested in providing exceptional service to members. Additionally, Casey has reduced the number of calls transferred to other departments by 1,300 each month, easing the workload for back-office teams and ensuring a smoother member experience.

HVCU has also seen impressive financial outcomes from Casey’s implementation, including a 201% ROI and $163,000 in annual savings. These results highlight Casey’s ability to optimize operations without compromising service quality.

First-call resolution (FCR) has also improved, with 89% of calls now resolved on the first attempt. By equipping agents with the right information at the right time, Casey minimizes follow-ups, ensuring member needs are met quickly and efficiently.

Empowering Agents and Enhancing Employee Satisfaction
Beyond operational improvements, Casey has positively impacted HVCU’s workplace culture. Since its deployment, employee satisfaction scores have risen from 82 to 86 points. Agents now have more time to focus on meaningful, skill-driven conversations with members, fostering stronger relationships and greater job satisfaction.

“Knowledge Assistant takes the pressure off employees,” Goodwine noted. “Members aren’t left waiting for answers, and agents don’t need to know everything off the top of their head. They just need to know how to ask the right question.”

As employees grow more confident in their ability to access accurate information quickly, Knowledge Assistant has become a trusted partner in delivering exceptional member experiences. By reducing friction in daily workflows and empowering agents with the tools they need to excel, it continues to drive efficiency, improve service quality and reinforce HVCU’s commitment to innovation and growth.

“Our team doesn’t see Casey as just a tool; they talk about it as if it’s a coworker,” Goodwine added. “Usage continues to increase as employees see how easy it is to get the information they need.”

Key Takeaways:
- 143 hours saved per month with Knowledge Assistant
- 1,300 calls no longer transferred monthly, freeing back-office resources
- 88.9% first-call resolution, reducing follow-ups and enhancing member satisfaction
- 201% ROI and $163,000 annual savings, showcasing the financial benefits
- 4-point increase in employee satisfaction, highlighting improved morale and engagement

“The experience has been better than anticipated. The system is incredibly easy to use. Without having to hire additional people, we serve our members faster and at all hours,” Goodwine said. “Our self-service solutions have been more successful as our members now have a guide to take them step-by-step through what they want to do.”

With the success of Knowledge Assistant, HVCU is now preparing to expand its AI capabilities by introducing Posh’s Voice Assistant. The credit union envisions a future where members can access quick, accurate answers to routine questions while agents focus on providing personalized support.

“The experience has been better than anticipated. The system is incredibly easy to use. Without having to hire additional people, we serve our members faster and at all hours,” Goodwine said. “Our self-service solutions have been more successful as our members now have a guide to take them step-by-step through what they want to do.”

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