CUs helping CUs as people helping people

If two heads are better than one … imagine what we could ALL do together!!!

Online social communities are changing the game for leaders, customers, employees, brands and our culture.  These online communities have real business value when it comes to learning from others and collaborating because many of us are working towards common goals for our business and professional lives.

That's why EPL introduced the e3 Community, made up of people who share a common purpose in the credit union industry.  The goal is to enhance the way credit unions collaborate - to draw on individual strengths, share perspectives and learn from each other in a vibrant, synergistic environment.  

What does “e3” stand for? 
Its all about Evolution, Extension, and Exploration. 

When you think about it, it represents the whole credit union philosophy of "People Helping People!"

The e3 community is a “learning community” designed to help foster opportunities for people to work together, solve problems, and generate ides … and its a convenient way to do so – anytime, anywhere. And the more information you have, the smarter the decisions you’ll make for your credit union. 

So what can you learn?  

Question… are you interested in collaborating with other credit unions to learn:

• What products worked for them
• How they increased their loan portfolio
• How they are dealing with new regulations
• Or, working together to share credit union resources and help each other in times of need?

There are over 600 users on our e3 Community accessing knowledge, collaborating and voting on ideas for our credit union system.

We’ve seen many great examples of knowledge sharing in our online community. A great example is a credit union that was very new to the EPL system who reached out for other’s experiences with the popular instant card issue solution.  They wanted to know if anyone in the group had already made the decision to go with a solution, if they could share their experiences and what choices and options were best.  We saw several willing credit unions reach out and make recommendations.  EPL staff shared other’s experiences as well and also shared “comparison” and “things to consider” information.   

We’ve also seen a lot of input in the world of compliance and security, which all credit unions know is one of the biggest hurdles in the industry. 

There are heightened expectations and many risks facing you today so unlocking the value of peer collaboration to share best practices and build productive relationships is key.  This is what the community is all about, being able to reach out to others, whether a peer credit union leader or an EPL subject matter expert … We are informally bound together in this network by shared expertise and passion for a common endeavor!

The community is about Diversity!  It increases the opportunity for diversity of thought and approaches as an online community atmosphere can eliminate the boundaries of location, philosophies, and even personality styles.  The outcomes … enhanced potential for all members, the possibility that new knowledge will be created and the enhancement of the effectiveness of the overall credit union movement. 

Rhiannon Stone

VP, Solutions Delivery

EPL, Inc