Heartland Credit Union Centralizes Expert Service Through M&A and Beyond

Never Turn Away Another Member

Picture this: A member walks into your branch with a highly specific request, like opening a trust. You have the perfect specialist on your team, but they’re out sick that day. Or on vacation. Or working in another branch. 

How do you serve that member?

In the old days, you’d have to turn that member away. 

But the old days are over—and the future is bright. 

Just ask Heartland Credit Union.

Working with Glia to handle high interaction volume, Heartland achieved eye-popping efficiency gains —the kind of KPIs that leaders dream of. But the real value is in what happened next. 

With its newfound operational efficiency, Heartland stopped backfilling frontline roles and centralized its top in-branch specialists in one digital center, making them virtually accessible to members over each of its 13 branches. 

In other words, Heartland gained the time and budget to replace five entry-level employees with a team of highly skilled experts that could deliver high-value interactions—everywhere. Now, by using Glia to offer top-tier member care from any location, Heartland now has groundbreaking power to improve service and scale without adding headcount.

It all adds up to transformative possibilities for Heartland’s future. But our story starts with a contact center at a crossroads.

Challenge: A Credit Union Confronts Change

After 80 years of proudly serving communities across Wisconsin, Heartland was on the verge of a seismic shift: a significant M&A that would rapidly expand its membership.

To deliver its high standard of personalized care to a larger base, Heartland needed to drive efficiency without compromising the member experience. Leaders envisioned a data-driven contact center as the solution to that challenge. But Heritage’s aging CCaaS phone system presented barriers:

• Reps spent precious time asking questions to identify and route callers, driving up handle times and wait times while testing member patience
• Without digital alternatives for routine inquiries, members flooded phone lines with inquiries, overloading agents and driving up abandonment rates
• Without real-time data or reporting, leaders were forced to make decisions based on instinct rather than insights

Put simply, Heartland’s CCaaS phone system wasn’t just part of the problem—it was the problem. Jamie Meyer, Chief Digital Officer at Heartland, sums it up: “Prior to implementing Glia, our only contact solution for members was to call us on the phone.”

With the merger approaching, Heartland needed a comprehensive platform that would allow agents to handle high interaction volume while giving leaders data-driven insights to make smart decisions. 

That's when Heartland turned to Glia.

Solution: Proven Partner, Powerful Platform

Heartland prioritized finding a vendor that integrated with its Alkami digital banking platform. Glia was the clear choice, as Daniel Mijal, VP of Digital Strategy, explains: "The synergy between Alkami and Glia solidified our choice, as both platforms complemented each other seamlessly." 

Heartland started its Glia implementation with a single chat queue, sparking a year of rapid innovation. As members enthusiastically embraced the new digital lifeline, Heartland quickly expanded its Glia Digital toolkit. 

Next, Heartland replaced its outdated CCaaS phone system with Glia Voice, which it unified with Glia Digital using the comprehensive Glia Banking AI Platform. Suddenly, agents were empowered with a 360-degree view of each member's journey across every stage of their interaction. 

The unified platform gave leaders access to real-time performance metrics, member interaction trends, and service-quality indicators, all powered by Glia's powerful AI reporting capabilities. With a newfound wealth of data, Heartland could now make smart decisions about everything from queue management to workforce planning, helping it take the influx of new members in stride.

One data-driven insight, made possible by Glia’s voice AI, provided an opportunity for immediate improvement. Heartland discovered that most of its "abandoned" calls were actually members hanging up and quickly redialing, hoping for faster service. To combat the issue, Heartland deployed Glia’s Callback feature, letting members request a place in line and receive a call from the next available agent rather than waiting on hold. 

Emboldened by Glia’s banking AI, Heartland made a move that would transform its future: launching its Digital Branch Team. 

Composed of specialists trained to handle complex financial discussions, Heartland’s new team used Glia Digital tools like on-screen voice, video chat, and CoBrowsing to handle high-value interactions from one centralized location. Over time, this move proved to completely change Heartland’s approach to member service.

Results: From High Volume to Highly Specialized Service

Paving the way for Heartland’s transformation was its switch to the Glia Banking AI Platform. Heartland used its unified tech to drive measurable impact across the contact center—even while serving more members following the merger:

• 97% service level, an increase of 24%
• 62% reduction in abandonment rate, down to 10%
• 40% decrease in average handle time, down to just 181 seconds
• 42% increase in monthly service capacity, from 4,500 interactions to an average of 6,400
• 4.53 CSAT score, with 93% of members saying they would return

Instead of pocketing the efficiency savings, the credit union reinvested in its team and dramatically improved its entire operational structure. Heartland reallocated five specialists from branches to its recently created digital team—without needing to backfill the in-branch roles.

The result? Heartland assembled a team of high-performing, specialized agents in its digital center, allowing them to deliver their expert service to members anywhere. Simply put, Heartland right-sized its team to drive super-sized impact.  

Outcome: Upskilled Team, Skyrocketed Impact 

To understand the power of Heartland’s new digital team, consider your own care team. What if you could free up five agents from constantly handling high-volume inquiries—like balance transfers and account balance requests—and let them focus on more complex work? Specifically, helping members with:

• Specialized account services. Business accounts, trusts, estates, LLCs, and fiduciary work.
• Digital communication. Fast, expert service for all messages from your OLB platform, emails, and website form requests.
• Online applications. Prompt, revenue-driving service and manual reviews for all membership applications.
• Account opening. From applying for a loan to funding an account.

Now, imagine that this up-leveled team could virtually offer these services to every member in your base, no matter their nearest branch.

With Glia, that’s exactly what Heartland did. 

The move has created exponential dividends for the credit union, its members, and its staff. 

Better Member Care, Starting In The Branch

Heartland’s mindset is simple: Put every agent in the best position to provide the highest possible value to every member, wherever they are.

In-branch agents, now relieved of the pressure to deep dive into niche member service issues, can focus strictly on warm, personalized, face-to-face service. 

“We’ve centralized all specialized services to the digital branch,” Mijal said. “In-branch agents no longer need to worry about that, and we’ve really taken a load off our frontline staff.”

The new service model creates a virtuous cycle. Along with handling simple banking tasks, like cashing checks or transferring funds, in-branch staff now have time to educate members on using digital banking and self-service tools. This not only empowers members, creates trust, and builds loyalty—it leads to lasting adoption of the digital tools that power Heartland’s efficiency in the first place. 

Democratized Access to Expert Service

Think back to that hypothetical member unable to receive specialized service to open a trust. What would happen to that member under Heartland’s new service model? 

“Now, our in-branch staff can guide those members toward a digital kiosk, where they can quickly connect with a member of the digital team trained to assist with those tier-two needs,” Mijal says. 

This is a win-win for the credit union and its members. Heartland can now make its top agents accessible to any member, whether they connect from a branch, over the phone, using video chat, on-screen voice, or any combination of the above. 

For the credit union, this means more business, higher member satisfaction, and offering the breadth of a big bank without the corresponding headcount. 

For members, it means they never have to walk out of a branch with their needs unmet—even if the agent who can best serve them isn’t on the premises. 

"We're not letting members walk away or telling them to go home and start a chat," Mijal said. "We can provide that same level of personalized service right there in the branch, whether it's over video or chat."

With Glia Digital, Heartland ensures there is no drop-off in service quality, even when agents and members connect virtually.

• CoBrowsing powers faster, more satisfying resolutions by letting agents take over members’ screens to guide them past obstacles, like uploading proof of residence during a loan application. "Rather than members taking screenshots and emailing them to an agent and having to wait for a response, our agents can use CoBrowsing to help the member solve the problem in real time," Mijal said. 
• Video verification streamlines the authentication process by letting members show ID to complete the verification process online—no more delays and frustration from asking members a series of authentication questions.

By ensuring its virtual service is on-par with its in-branch experience, Heartland unlocks a key benefit of its new service model: scalability.

Hiring for Growth, Not Need, To Power Scalability

Before Glia, when Heartland was consumed with improving its service level, any decrease in headcount would be a serious blow to a team already drowning in banking inquiries. 

Now, as the credit union uses Glia to meet service levels while maintaining a high standard of service, Heartland can push toward the future without overwhelming pressure to backfill roles after attrition. 

"Our overall service numbers have continued to increase as we’ve naturally lost staff,” Mijal said. “That’s all due to the efficiency we’ve gained with Glia."

To be clear, Heartland’s new model isn’t designed to replace staff—it’s about letting them focus on specialized, high-value work that creates more impact and offers new career development paths. 

Now, Heartland can offer entry-level positions to in-branch staff, where they have the time to learn the nuances of member service without facing a barrage of inquiries from frustrated members. When it’s time for career advancement, agents have a clear path ahead. By learning specialized skills, they can then ascend into service roles for all members from one centralized location. 

Heartland also benefits from investing deeply in individual employees rather than overwhelming the entire workforce with too much information—and overstretching managers with training responsibilities. 

‍“Centralizing training makes it easier,” Mijal said. “Take compliance—we now have four people who can confidently handle everything rather than having to get 60 people up to 100% each.”

At the same time, Heartland’s call center staff have been vocal about their appreciation for the Glia Platform. “After the second day of using Glia, a call center agent approached me and said, ‘I now go home with a smile on my face,’ said Mijal. "When I hear those stories, I think, ‘Why didn’t we do this sooner?’”

What’s Next: Doubling Capacity With Glia Voice

Heartland’s future is full of exciting possibilities. Up next, leaders are planning to use voice AI to further extend their efficiency gains. Glia Voice includes AI agents built for banking that automate more than 50% of inquiries, giving all that time, budget, and capacity right back to Heartland. 

Mijal is already looking to turn the efficiency gains into loan growth.

“We’ve given our lending team access to the Glia Banking AI Platform,” Mijal said. “Now they can take advantage of Glia’s powerful tools to convert more loans.”

For Mijal, the value is clear. With qualified loan specialists on board, the digital team can offer immediate, revenue-generating service as soon as they get a lead—no need to transfer the potential borrower and risk waiting for a call back, which could give the prospect time to shop around for competitors. 

Down the road, that loan officer could take on outbound growth, too, instead of just handling inbound opportunities. 

At the same time, as Heartland continues to drive efficiency with Glia, agents can have longer conversations with members, shifting from a reactive model to a more proactive, consultative approach—driving even more trust, satisfaction, and new product adoption. 

That’s the beauty of Heartland’s current situation: By using Glia to generate game-changing efficiency, it can continue investing in new ways to improve service while reconfiguring its team in real-time, leveraging its best specialists and scaling faster. As a result, the entire organization is now built to provide consistent, high-value service that converts efficiency into lasting member loyalty.

Optimistic about the future, Mijal has one piece of advice for others considering Glia: “Jump in and use it all! Our biggest regret was not implementing voice and video immediately. Don’t restrict your organization and members to just one digital channel. Glia is truly a valuable member service tool that will make everyone’s life easier.”

How Will You Use Your Banking AI Efficiency Gains?

As Heartland Credit Union proves, the right technology can drive groundbreaking impact from your contact center through your entire organization. But Heartland’s story leaves one question unanswered: What will Glia banking AI make possible for your financial institution?

We’re ready to help you find out. Reach out today to find out what you can do with Glia. 

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