At the start of the pandemic, TRUE Community Credit Union in Jackson, Mich., “changed our charter, changed our name, merged, and changed our name again,” says Chrissy Siders, president/CEO at the $721 million asset credit union.

This necessitated a significant digital refresh, she says.

Even before these changes arose, the credit union’s leaders had identified a need to improve their digital platforms.

“Our app at the time was going down almost every payday Friday,” Siders says, which put the credit union’s reputation at risk. “We needed to think about what we had to do to show up in the way our members would expect us to.”

Once the contract with its previous provider expired, TRUE Community set out to give members better service and more options. At the same time, it wanted to compete in an increasingly technologically advanced marketplace.

More than just offering members products and services, the marketing team set out to develop an app that brought the credit union to life, Siders says.

Whether members use the website, app, or branch, they should see “a constant, seamless message and the same beautiful use of our brand and art,” she says.

Siders believes service is no longer a differentiator. “What differentiates you is having a clear purpose, mission, vision, and values—and living them every day.”

Therefore, the credit union designed a digital campaign that was fun, using a pet theme to develop a lighthearted feel everyone could rally around.

TRUE Community won a Marketing & Business Development Council Diamond Award for the “thought-provoking approach to design and execution” in its “Digital Refresh-Upgrade to Digital Banking Platform” campaign.

Siders recognizes that the success of the refresh relied on having the right people in the right roles, spearheaded by Creative Brand Manager Alexa Irvine.

A project team sat through demos with three or four companies before selecting Alkami. This allowed TRUE Community to have one vendor for both online banking and the mobile app.

The goal: “Transformational change and an omnichannel experience for our members,” Siders says. “Whether they go online on their computer, an iPad, or their phone, they’re going to get the same experience.”

The new digital platforms also added functionality, allowing members to pull in external accounts, pay people with Zelle, control their cards while traveling, market relevant services, and more.

Changes on the scale of TRUE Community’s digital refresh required education. Upon rolling out the new platforms in October 2022, credit union staff supported members through the refresh, demonstrating the app and how to conduct transactions.

“We added that intimate rollout, and I heard so many members say, ‘Oh, my gosh, I love that,’” Siders says. “We exist to inspire the pursuit of a life well lived. Our mission is to cultivate legacy-defining moments for the people and places we serve for generations to come.”