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Title: | DCU |
Notice: | 1996 BoD Election results in 1004 |
Moderator: | CPEEDY::BRADLEY |
|
Created: | Sat Feb 07 1987 |
Last Modified: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
Number of topics: | 1041 |
Total number of notes: | 18759 |
864.0. "complete version of survey (note 863) " by IAMOK::MCEACHIN (Tom McEachin) Thu Aug 11 1994 14:37
A REPORT TO THE DIGITAL EMPLOYEES' FEDERAL CREDIT UNION ON THE
RESULTS OF A SURVEY OF MEMBER ATTITUDES AND OPINION
Bradford Senden & Associates
July 15, 1994
Page 1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. There are two primary conclusions among credit union
members. They either see nothing that should change or they
want access services improved.
An open-ended question was included in the interview in
order to ask each individual to name the one thing that they
wanted to see changed in the operation of the credit union.
The results indicate that the largest group, 36.8%, see
nothing that they want changed. The second largest group,
33.5%, want to see access to credit union services changed
or improved. A smaller number, 20.4%, want the credit union
to change its interest rates (either on loans or savings).
A very small minority, 9.3%, want changes in the policy,
direction and officials of the credit union.
2. The members believe that there is something special
about a credit union.
A majority, 65.6%, said they disagreed or strongly disagreed
with the statement that there was nothing special about a
credit union. This belief is related to a large majority,
89.3%, who believe that the credit union should be more
concerned with services than profits. It also is reflected
in the 68.1% who said they thought members should share the
cost of services provided by the credit union and the 62.1%
who believe that checking should be free to all members.
These are, however, ideals and are contradicted by the
preferences expressed when those interviewed were presented
with specific cost items in credit union operations.
3. The belief in the credit union, however, does not blind
members to the reality of the costs of operating the credit
union.
A very large majority of the members, 77.8%, believe that
the credit union should base fees on the cost of providing
services. A smaller majority, 61.6%, believe that members
should be required to pay for the services they use. Most
members, 73.8%, understand that there is a cost associated
with the operation of a checking account and a majority,
58.1%, believe that the fairest way to price a checking
account is to offer such services for free to those who
Page - 2
maintain minimum balances or use direct deposit. Only 33.2%
said that checking should be free when the question was
posed to them in this way. Finally, a very consistent
majority, 64.3%, agreed with the statement that the credit
union should set policy as it compares itself to all of its
competitors in the financial services market place.
4. The belief in the special nature of the credit union
ends abruptly when sharing is viewed as subsidizing.
Two questions were included in the survey to test the
contrast in response expected if the cost of service was
described as shared or subsidized by th members. As
expected, the attitude of a majority, 68.1%, that costs
should be shared changed dramatically if the idea was
presented in terms that said members would be asked to
subsidize the cost of services. A similarly majority,
60.1%, disagree with the concept of subsidizing costs in the
credit union. Likewise, when presented with two situations
where a members action created a cost, a majority of the
membership felt that the member should pay the cost as
opposed to allowing the membership to pay it. The first of
these tests concerns the costs generated when a check is
returned for insufficient funds. A large majority, 92%,
believe that the member who bounced the check should cover
these costs. When presented with the cost generated by
maintain a low balance checking account, 67.8% of the
membership agreed that the member involved should be asked
to cover the costs involved.
5. In general, the members are not aware of the
relationship pricing program. The minority who are aware,
however, believe the practice is inappropriate.
The concept of relationship pricing was described to each
individual interviewed as part of this study. They were
then asked if this policy existed at their credit union.
Almost half, 48.6%, did not know. Another quarter, 24.7%,
did not think their credit union had such a policy. Only
26.7% of the membership know that this policy had been
adopted. Those individuals were then asked if such a policy
was appropriate at a credit union. A large majority, 72$%,
agreed that it was appropriate.
6. If there are excess profits, members want then used to
change savings or loan rates.
Those interviewed were presented with a set of questions
designed to allow them to decide how to use excess profits
in the credit union. One-third of those interviewed, 33.4%,
want excess profits used to lower loan rates. Less than one
quarter, 23.2%, want these profits used to pay a bonus
dividend and 20.9% would like to see these funds used to
increase savings interest. The next largest group, 17.5%,
want to see excess profits spent on expanded service and,
the smallest group, 5.0%, would like to see the funds used
to grant an interest refund.
7. Credit union communication is see as credible.
A very large majority, 84.8%, agree with the statement that
communication from their credit union is credible.
T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
---|
864.2 | | MOLAR::DELBALSO | I (spade) my (dogface) | Wed Aug 10 1994 17:42 | 4 |
| Which survey was this? The one for which the results were deemed confidential
as stated in some recent board meeting minutes?
-Jack
|
864.3 | | MONTOR::KYZIVAT | Paul Kyzivat | Wed Aug 10 1994 19:10 | 23 |
| > A very small minority, 9.3%, want changes in the policy,
> direction and officials of the credit union.
I have a distinct feeling that this number is much larger than would be
normal in such a survey of a typical credit union.
> 5. In general, the members are not aware of the
> relationship pricing program. The minority who are aware,
> however, believe the practice is inappropriate.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
...
> 26.7% of the membership know that this policy had been
> adopted. Those individuals were then asked if such a policy
> was appropriate at a credit union. A large majority, 72$%,
> agreed that it was appropriate.
^^^^^^^^^^^
Which is it?
The ambiguous nature of the responses to the other questions suggests
either that people are ambivilant, or that the questions are poorly worded;
there doesn't seem to be much else you can learn from those answers.
Paul
|
864.4 | Comments on the executive summary | WRKSYS::SEILER | Larry Seiler | Wed Aug 10 1994 19:33 | 49 |
| First: Thanks, Tom, for posting this. It's nice to see a
summary of the information on which the DCU is basing decisions.
Second: Can the questions themselves be posted? The summary
states over and over that people gave different answers to
similar questions, depending how the question was phrased. That
makes the actual questions rather important in figuring out what
the answers mean.
Third: The end of section 3 is cut off, and section 5 is
inconsistent -- do most of the few who know about DCU's
relationship program think it is appropriate or inappropriate?
Fourth: Is it just me, or does the summary read to others as if
the folks writing it had a strong opinion on the subjects being
polled? For example, "3. The belief in the credit union, however,
does not blind members to the reality of the costs of operating the
credit union." This doesn't sound like the statement of someone
who is simply reporting what people think. Other statements struck
me the same way. Is this just a style matter, or might there be
something real here?
Fifth: *Should* a credit union be special? Should the DCU use
the sharing approach that a majority agreed on when asked one type
of question, or the variable fee approach that a majority agreed
on when asked another type of question? Hopefully, the DCU will
be up front about choosing one or the other, and not try to keep
people feeling that we're somehow different without there being
a real difference.
Sixth: People think the cost of a bounced check should be born
by the person who bounces the check. Great, so do I! Will the
DCU respond by setting the fee for a bounced check to the $3 or
so that it actually costs? Or will it stay at $15-$30 (the latter
for a double bounce, which can be unavoidable). This is an example
of how the results of a survey like this can be miscontrued. It
would be easy to take that answer as justifying the huge bounced
check charges that the DCU imposes, but in fact it does not.
Lastly: I'm curious what percentage of the people surveyed know
anything about the DCU other than official communication. Probably
most of those surveyed haven't even been reading the official DCU
communcations, must less anything else. Otherwise more would know
about the relationship system. Given this, I'm not sure what it
tells us about the DCU that a large majority think that DCU
communication is credible.
Larry
|
864.5 | Survey of the Uninformed | GLDOA::PENFROY | Just Do It or Just Say No? | Thu Aug 11 1994 08:37 | 7 |
|
> Only 26.7% of the membership know that this policy
> (relationship banking) had been adopted.
Therefore 73.3% of the respondents were not informed enough to give an
accurate reflection of what members think of DCU's policies.
|
864.6 | | WLDBIL::KILGORE | DCU 3Gs -- fired but not forgotten | Thu Aug 11 1994 11:49 | 10 |
|
Hmmm. 26.7% are aware of membership banking.
9.3% want changes in policies, directions and officials.
If one assumes that the other 73.3% are blissfully ignorant of the
situation, one could infer that (9.3/26.7=) 34.8% of those who know
what'd going on think it stinks.
Cool.
|
864.7 | questions on results and costs | SMAUG::GOVOTSKI | Ray Govotski | Thu Aug 11 1994 12:05 | 37 |
|
Re: .0 Tom
Thank you for posting the results of the DCU survey of member attitudes
and opinion. I have a some questions that I hope you will answer for me.
I participated in the DCU survey on service quality. Will you, or another
responsible individual, post in the DCU notes conference the results
of that survey? I'm curious about what the other participants think about
the DCU's service quality.
In item 3, the final sentence drops off. Would you be able to finish
that sentence from the report and post it in this notes string?
.0> posed to them in this way. Finally, a very consistent
.0> majority, 64.3% in response to
.0>
.0> 4. The belief in the special nature of the credit union
How can I see the costs mentioned in items 3 & 4? Could I visit a DCU
office and request to read the DCU's member attitudes and opinion survey?
.0> When presented with the cost generated by
.0> maintain a low balance checking account, 67.8% of the
.0> membership agreed that the member involved should be asked
.0> to cover the costs involved.
Why shouldn't the cost associated with providing checking accounts be
spread equally amongst all checking accounts? Why differentiate costs between
member checking account on a useage criteria? I don't understand. I would
think members who write a lot of checks would incur a larger cost to the
DCU because the Federal Reserve needs to be interacted with to clear a check.
Please clarify the costs of checking for me.
regards,
Ray
|
864.8 | | STRWRS::KOCH_P | It never hurts to ask... | Fri Aug 12 1994 17:46 | 9 |
| I'd like to see the question also. I was involved with a survey for the
renewal of our local cable franchise. We made up our own questions and
the cable company went ballistic because of the way the questions were
worded. They commissioned their own survey. Also, Gallup has recently
changed the way they ask questions. A survey can be constructed to get
the answers you are looking for. A good survey asks the same questions
different ways to correlate the responses to make sure the numbers are
accurate. There's a saying, there are liars, damn liars and
statisticians...
|
864.9 | | WRKSYS::SEILER | Larry Seiler | Tue Aug 23 1994 11:44 | 19 |
| re .3:
The correct text for the title of executive summary item 5 is:
"5. In general, the members are not aware of the relationship pricing
program. The minority who are aware, however, believe the practice is
appropriate."
The text in .0 has a typo, with the last word "inappropriate". This
was noticed due to its inconsistency with the end of the section:
"A large majority [of the 26.7% who knew about relationship pricing]
agreed that it was appropriate."
Larry
PS -- Yes, you too can get a copy for yourself by going down to
DCU HQ. The receptionist didn't know what I was talking about,
and neither did the first person she called, but after a little
research I got one with no problems. It's interesting... LS
|
864.10 | Suvery Availability | STAR::BUDA | I am the NRA | Wed Nov 16 1994 18:25 | 5 |
| I am looking for the note that said that the survey information would be
posted at all branch officer and made available to all members. Does
anyone remember that being said?
- mark
|
864.11 | | ROWLET::AINSLEY | Less than 150 kts. is TOO slow! | Thu Nov 17 1994 08:10 | 5 |
| Mark,
Perhaps in one of the BoD meeting minutes?? That would be 2.*
Bob
|