Dolphin Debit Enables Mazuma Credit Union to Prioritize In-Branch Member Engagement

After decades of managing its ATM fleet in-house, Mazuma Credit Union has partnered with Dolphin Debit, circumventing a sizable capital investment while creating opportunities for increased member engagement at branch locations.

Scheer says, “Dolphin has lived up to our expectations. They are so easy to work with and they are a partner that resembles our culture in every interaction we have."

Dolphin Debit, the full-service ATM management company, now manages 20 ATMs for the Kansas City-based credit union, which has assets of more than $970 million and more than 73,000 Members.

Mazuma, celebrating 75 years of service in 2023, began as a credit union for federal employees before expanding to provide a full range of financial products and services to its Kansas City community. The credit union is community chartered in the five-county, two-state Kansas City metro area.

The organization decided to look into outsourced ATM management after experiencing persistent service problems with its previous ATM vendor. Also, a significant portion of its fleet was reaching the end of its operational life, explained Tim Scheer, Vice President of Retail Operations for Mazuma.

Most of the Mazuma ATM fleet is at the credit union’s 12 branches, and at some busy branches there are as many as three machines. Dolphin replaced all of them with new ATMs.

“What Dolphin offered sounded like something we were ready for,” Scheer said. “Turning management of our ATM fleet over to them meant giving time back to our branch personnel so they can better focus on building relationships with our Members.”

Mazuma did consider other vendors as well but said the biggest factor in Dolphin Debit’s favor was its complementary culture.

“From the start, they felt like a real partner,” Scheer noted. “They are so focused on ATM service and they understand, like we do, the importance of keeping that fleet available at all times.”

ATMs are a key element of Mazuma’s member service strategy, Scheer said. “We have a fairly strong cash usage membership within the Kansas City metro area, with a lot of cash withdrawals and deposits. We have to meet that need, and we do that through strategic placement of our ATM fleet,” he noted.

Since moving over to Dolphin Debit, Scheer says, “They have lived up to our expectations. They are so easy to work with and they are a complementary vendor partner that resembles our culture in every interaction we have, which is important to us.”

“The Mazuma-Dolphin relationship really demonstrates how important it is for a vendor to be a true partner,” said Joe Woods, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Partnerships for Dolphin Debit. “That attitude of partnership and making client needs the top priority is something that infuses our whole organization.”