CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Finishing touches have been completed at Dupaco Community Credit Union’s newest Cedar Rapids Learning Lab, located at 4615 Crosse Pointe Blvd at the intersection of Highway 100 and Edgewood Road.
Dupaco celebrated the completion of the newly finished branch with a Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance led ribbon cutting.
Dupaco’s Learning Lab branch features a fresh open concept and technology that underpins the credit union’s mission to improve each member’s financial position. Touchscreen technology in the lobby provides members an opportunity to learn more about topics like credit score and home buying options in a game-like atmosphere, while in-branch staff are available to coach members, providing one-on-one personalized financial service and advice. There are 10 employees who are currently occupying the space full-time.
According to Dupaco, the unique 9,654 square foot branch focuses on improving ways in which credit union staff help members understand money. Efficiently using floor space, this branch will serve as a laboratory to:
- Explore and test new ways of helping members understand money and improve their financial positions;
- Teach members how to control their money through hands-on demonstrations of Dupaco desktop, tablet and mobile deposit services, and more;
- Deploy and test emerging technologies that shift staff time and resources from traditional transactional duties to more in-depth member interactions; and,
- Test future member-centric branch designs and concepts through a flexible layout.
The branch features a service delivery technology called interactive video teller, which allows live tellers to conduct real-time, face-to-face transactions from a distance. Dupaco employees located at a central location in Dubuque remotely operate the lobby and drive-through video teller machines.
The new video teller technology is intended to boost the credit union’s mission to improve each member’s financial position, according to Dupaco Branch Manager, Torri Freese
“Video tellers allow our on-site branch employees to spend more time with members having deeper conversations about money, advice, and services,” she said. “We also expect the video tellers to increase future opportunities for member convenience—to serve more members, in more places, with expanded hours of service.”
In addition to the video teller technology, Dupaco’s newest branch features:
- Interactive laboratory tables for small group discussions and offices;
- Built-in electronic wall displays to aid in consultations about money; and
- Signage and lighting which use LED illumination to conserve energy and reduce electricity costs by more than 35% annually.