Electro Savings Blog

From past experiences with car dealerships, online retailers, and cellphone providers, most of us associate calling customer service with a lengthy, painstaking process. However, when someone gives Electro’s Member Care Department a ring, they’re almost instantly greeted by a warm, friendly voice. One of those welcoming voices belongs to Tabitha Joest, our Lead Member Care Representative.

“I’m part of a team that makes up the credit union’s main contact center. I answer members’ phone calls and emails. We also handle a lot of questions and services about debit and credit cards – like card orders, travel notifications, fraudulent transactions, and disputes,” says Tabitha. “We do a little bit of everything while always delivering top-notch care and solutions to our members.”

Tabitha has been with the Member Care Department from the start – watching it grow into what it is today. She began her career with the Electro family as a teller more than twelve years ago. Her journey eventually led her to member services. When Electro formed a call center, she was asked to be part of an initial team of two people that would forge the path for the new Member Care Department.

“Today, we’ve doubled to a department of four people, along with our supervisor,” explains Tabitha. “We do so much more now than we did in the beginning. We went from transferring calls to answering a lot of questions on our own.”

Needless to say, it takes a special, charismatic person to build strong relationships with members simply by speaking with them over the phone.

“Once in a while, I’ll hear from a member, ‘Oh, I’m so glad it’s you who picked up the phone.’ It’s nice to know that I’m trusted and that the member has confidence in me,” says Tabitha. “I really love getting to know members, and they also get to know me.”

It’s the extra one-on-one time Tabitha takes with members that really makes a difference. “I remember one time I had a great conversation with a member.  She said she used to bank with a big bank and never received the great service from them that she does with Electro. She stated that she recommends us whenever she can. She had such kind words to say to me and complimented all our employees. She just really made my day.

Another time, I was working with a very sweet member who needed extra time and patience whenever she called in. She is always so grateful and thanks us for taking the extra time to help her. This particular time she chatted about how difficult it is getting old, and with her birthday being just the prior week, I sent her a birthday card, hoping it would be a little pick-me-up for her.”

When she’s not providing solutions and spreading kindness to members, Tabitha loves spending time with her friends and family, reading, crafting, and finding treasures at thrift stores. And if you’re looking for a fun fact: Tabitha has been a vegetarian for 15 years.

You can reach our Member Care Department Monday – Saturday by calling (314) 434-6470 or toll-free (800) 844-8313. And you might even get to talk to Tabitha!