CFI leaders converge in Santa Clara, Calif. to explore generative AI's transformative potential, experience Eltropy’s Emerge Customer Community and Learning Academy

Eltropy hosted its annual EMERGE 2024 user conference last week in Santa Clara, California. The sold-out event brought together 250+ credit union leaders, industry innovators, and Eltropy experts to learn about the latest technologies shaping the future of community banks and credit unions. 

A central theme was the rise of generative AI and its profound implications across member engagement, operations, collections / delinquencies, lending, fraud detection, and marketing. 

Keynotes and breakout sessions armed attendees with real-world strategies for harnessing GenAI to drive growth and operational excellence.

Major announcements included the launch of Eltropy Voice+, a new contact center solution that unifies voice with digital channels like text, video, chat and AI assistance. Voice+ enables efficient call routing, visual call flow design, AI-powered automation, and seamless transitions between virtual and human agents.

"We’re extremely proud of the launch of our new Voice+ solution," said Ashish Garg, Co-founder and CEO of Eltropy. "Voice+ bridges the gap between traditional voice capabilities and the modern digital channels members increasingly expect. By unifying voice with text, video, chat, AI assistance, and more into one seamless experience, Voice+ allows community financial institutions to resolve member issues more efficiently across all conversation channels."

Eltropy also unveiled the Eltropy Emerge Community and Emerge Academy – a new online hub for customers to access educational resources, collaborate through forums, and earn certifications. By encouraging peer connections and continuous learning, the goal of the platform is to maximize value from Eltropy's solutions.

"The Emerge Community and Academy will fuel continuous learning and collaboration for our customers," said David Ginsburg, Chief Customer Officer at Eltropy. "The Community allows credit unions and banks to share best practices, get advice from peers and experts, and make industry connections. The Academy's extensive content – articles, tutorials, training programs and more – then enables customers to deepen their expertise. Together, these platforms empower our customers to expand their skills and drive innovation through ongoing knowledge sharing."

The EMERGE conference featured over a dozen sessions led by trailblazers from credit unions like Magnifi Financial, STCU, APL Federal Credit Union, and Vantage West Credit Union. Topics spanned using conversational AI for deeper engagement, applying AI to lending and fraud, intelligent automation, data-driven marketing, and more.

Renowned credit union influencer Mike Lawson, host of CUbroadcast, brought his insightful commentary and interviews to EMERGE 2024. Lawson led engaging panel discussions and conducted numerous interviews with attendees and speakers in the CUbroadcast Studio Lounge, providing coverage and analysis of the event's highlights.

After-hours entertainment included an escape room challenge, mixology class, axe throwing competition, and a Giants vs. Dodgers baseball outing. Capping off EMERGE 2024 was the lively "Bhangra Night with Eltropy" celebration featuring award-winning Indian dancers, food, music and dancing late into the night.

“Thank you for hosting such a fantastic conference!” wrote Howard Meller, President and CEO of People First Federal Credit Union,” echoing feedback from many attendees. “The dialogue with your team and other financial professionals was incredibly enriching, and I truly appreciate the learning you provided on Indian dance, culture, and food – that final evening’s reception was fantastic!”

Highlights and session recordings from EMERGE 2024 will be available soon in the new Emerge Community: https://eltropy.com/emerge/. The Eltropy community and academy is open to active Eltropy customers and partners only.