Member Friction: Know It Before It Erodes Loyalty
- Anne Legg
- Jul 11
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 12
What Members Don’t Say—Hurts the Most
Your members may not always complain when they hit a wall.
They might not mention the ATM that was down when they needed cash.
Or the confusing app update.
Or the time they were transferred three times just to reset a password.
But those moments add up.
And when friction goes unnoticed, it turns into frustration.
Frustration erodes trust. And trust, once lost, is hard to win back.
What Is Member Friction?
Member friction is any unnecessary effort, confusion, or delay your members experience when trying to manage their financial lives.
It could be:
Poorly timed or irrelevant messages
Gaps between digital and human service
Complex processes that feel like a maze
Inconsistent service across branches or channels
And in today’s world of high expectations and low patience, even small friction points feel big.
Why You Must Catch It Early
By the time a member complains, it’s often too late.
According to Forrester, 89% of consumers will leave a brand after a single poor experience, and many won’t even tell you why.
That’s why proactively identifying friction is essential to retention.
And guess what? Your data already holds the answers.
How to Spot Friction Using Data
Your goal is to move from guessing to knowing.
Here’s how credit unions are using their data to spot and resolve member friction:
The Real Challenge: Connecting the Dots
It’s not that credit unions don’t have data.
It’s that they struggle to activate it across departments in a meaningful way.
This is where tools like the Data Activation Series come in — training your team to translate raw data into member insights.
And where a strategic plan like THRIVE 90 builds alignment around solving real member problems, not just reporting on them.
A Real-World Example
A credit union THRIVE recently worked with noticed a steady decline in card usage.
The reason? A poorly communicated fraud policy change caused members to lose confidence.
Once identified, a simple email campaign explaining the policy—and sharing card safety tips—recovered the usage and strengthened trust.
This is the power of finding friction before it fractures loyalty.
Want to Start Now?
Take the Mid-Year Check-In
🎓 Explore the Data Activation Series
🚀 Build your strategy with THRIVE 90
Got the Data—
Now What?
The Data Activation Series gives your teams the confidence, clarity, and capability to use data every day.
No jargon. No overwhelm. Just impact.
Learn more about how your team can go from reactive to data-ready.
Create
Clarity & Certainty in
Uncertain Times
Discover the 3-step framework credit unions are using to reduce friction, guide members, and make confident decisions in unpredictable times.
Download “Creating Certainty in Uncertain Times” and start turning insight into impact.
Pause. Reflect. Reignite.
This mid-year check-in will help you assess how aligned your data, strategy, and teams are—and where to focus for the biggest impact in the second half of the year.
Start the Check-In
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