You log into your banking app, start a chat with customer service, and then—plot twist—they need to verify it’s actually you before they can help.
Cue the security questions, the waiting, and that special kind of frustration that comes from proving your identity to access an account you literally just logged into.
Loyalty Credit Union in Florida’s Panhandle just solved that headache, and the results are pretty impressive.
The Setup: Two Systems That Finally Talk to Each Other
The seven-branch credit union recently integrated its chat platform (Eltropy) with its online banking provider (Mahalo), creating what tech people call “authenticated chat” and what normal humans call “chat that actually works the way it should.”
Here’s the magic: when members log into their Mahalo account and open a chat, they’re already verified. No security theater. No “what’s your mother’s maiden name” dance. They can talk to Lumi, the credit union’s AI assistant, or get transferred to a real person without that annoying identity-verification speedbump in between.
And for the first time, this works seamlessly on mobile—which, considering most of us do our banking from our phones these days, feels like table stakes but apparently hasn’t been.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Since flipping the switch on this integration, Loyalty has seen some significant shifts:
- Average chat time dropped from 4.84 minutes to 2.93 minutes—that’s a 40% reduction
- Chat volume jumped 13.41% compared to the previous month (and still climbing)
- Members can now access authenticated chat on mobile for the first time
That time savings isn’t just about efficiency for efficiency’s sake. It means agents aren’t burning the first two minutes of every conversation on verification protocols. They’re actually helping people.
“We’re able to launch right into a conversation about the member’s immediate need, giving them instant information or assistance,” said Jessica Herring, Vice President of Member Experience at Loyalty Credit Union. “And now we can do that on mobile, too.”
When AI Meets the Human Touch
Loyalty runs a tight ship with this setup. When Lumi (the AI) hands off a conversation to a human, the routing is smart—mortgage questions go to the lending team, not some general queue where you have to explain yourself all over again.
But here’s the detail that really shows how Loyalty thinks about member experience: some of those live agents, like Carol and Debra, have been with the credit union for more than 30 years. Members know them by name. For folks who might be new to digital banking or just prefer a familiar voice, that continuity matters.
“Lumi allows us to simplify the easy conversations and show up for the rest,” Herring explained. “That’s what Eltropy does best. And that’s what we do best.”
Why This Partnership Clicked
Loyalty didn’t just pick Eltropy out of a hat. They ran a competitive evaluation in 2024, and what sealed the deal wasn’t just the tech—it was the relationship. On-site demos, access to Eltropy’s user conference, and responsive support made the difference.
“I have never had a support issue where I can’t get a hold of someone, or where they don’t jump to make something happen,” Herring said. “It’s the best vendor relationship I’ve ever experienced.”
That’s high praise in an industry where “vendor relationship” often translates to “good luck getting anyone on the phone.”
What’s Next
Loyalty isn’t done yet. They’re planning to roll out Video Banking through Eltropy and keeping an eye on Mahalo’s upcoming AI-powered fraud monitoring tool. The new system will detect unusual behavior patterns, flag potential imposters, and limit account access without inadvertently locking out legitimate members—because nothing says “great customer experience” like getting blocked from your own account.
“The Eltropy side is pretty mind-blowing,” Herring said. “Working with them, we’ve gone from zero to 100 in our call center and member-facing technology.”
For a credit union serving communities across the Florida Panhandle, that kind of digital transformation—done right, with the human element intact—is how you stay relevant without losing what makes you different from the megabanks in the first place.