digital transformation

Remember the days when you could only bank at your financial institution? We wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t. For many consumers, being able to bank anytime, anywhere is simply the norm. Today’s members expect us to deliver confidently and seamlessly across all banking channels – mobile, online, phone and in branch.

It’s great, but it comes at a cost. Fewer face-to-face interactions with members mean more of a challenge in understanding and anticipating your financial needs. In 2018, Kootenay Savings established a cross-functional Digital Transformation Team with the purpose of more effectively understanding our members’ financial journeys and integrating this knowledge into the way we work. The team’s goal: to improve processes, smooth any friction points between digital and physical channels and make your financial life better.

Since 2014, we’ve introduced many new services and digital technologies to make it easier for members to do business with us. Improvements such as our mobile app, Deposit AnywhereTM, the Member Service Centre, online credit card applications, and electronic documents and signatures. The last two have revolutionized the speed at which we can move. Of the 13,123 electronic documents we sent members in 2018, 42% were signed and returned within one hour. No meetings, no driving, no paper. Pure efficiency.

In the future, we see members gaining even greater digital access as Kootenay Savings remains agile and innovative in the midst of a changing financial services landscape.

sig image

3.4 million

online and mobile banking
logins annually prove our
members love to bank when
and where they want

sig image

37,184

cheques were deposited using
our mobile app and
Deposit Anywhere™ in 2018.

member service centre

Kootenay Savings’ new Member Service Centre is like having a branch as close as your phone. After three years of planning and training, we were delighted to officially open this highly anticipated toll-free service to members of all our branches and the general public in April of 2018.

With a core team of nine experienced advisors located in Trail assisted by two seasoned advisors in Kimberley and Radium Hot Springs, the Member Service Centre (MSC) offers all Kootenay Savings members, regardless of where they live, the same trusted advice and local expertise found in our branches.

Whether you’re in Nakusp or New York, we’re here for you. Just call 1.800.665.5728 to get questions answered quickly, apply for a loan, renew your mortgage, transfer funds, invest in term deposits, book an appointment, set up online banking and so much more. You’ll be connected with an advisor in seconds. Need a document? Contracts and forms can be sent electronically and signed remotely without you ever having to visit a branch.

The extended hours and ease of the MSC have made it extremely popular with members of all ages, especially snowbirds, students and other busy people who live or work outside of the Kootenays. An average of 3,880 calls came into the centre each month over the course of 2018. And more than 100 mortgage renewals were processed start to finish during the year. Next time you need to talk to us, pick up the phone and give it a try.

sig image

41 seconds

Average speed to
answer a call

sig image

46,560

Total # of calls
answered by MSC
advisors in 2018

sig image

11 hours

Extra hours of service
per week compared
to our branches

our new credit cards

In 2018, we invited our members to give themselves credit as we introduced a brand new suite of Visa credit cards from Collabria Financial. Eleven unique card choices to suit everyone’s needs, from the student just beginning to build credit to the small business owner looking for cash back options and the savvy member who loves to earn points for travel.

With more choice than ever before, we are confident we have a card to meet your needs, and whatever one you choose, your Kootenay Savings Collabria Visa card will be an invaluable tool for managing your personal or business finances.

At Kootenay Savings, we make applying for credit quick and easy, whether you do it in branch, by phone or online. Our members readily embraced the convenience of our new online application form; more than one-third of members who applied for a credit card in 2018 chose this channel. We pride ourselves in never selling a member a product or service they don’t need and credit cards are no exception. With that in mind, an extensive internal training program educated our employees on the offerings. We also tested our processes early in the year by piloting card applications with employees to ensure the member experience would be seamless when the product launched.

Our new cardholders love MyCardInfo, the innovative online card management tool that offers complete at-a-glance access to their card account, current activity, transaction details and history. Its newest feature, AutoPay, will automatically pay your bill every month. Just set and forget – you’ll never miss a payment again. Ask us about it today.

sig image

Our 11

new Kootenay Savings
Collabria® Visa* cards offer
members better credit
and convenience

sig image