All for the customer
Envision Financial prides itself in its personal approach
June 2006

With so many banks and credit unions vying for customer dollars, it’s hard to tell them apart. But in 2005, a private marketing company did a survey comparing four financial institutions: Financial, Vancity, TD Canada Trust and HSBC. The observers, requesting general information about moving a business account of close to $2,000,000 in revenue. The surveyors asked questions such as “What makes your company different?” and measured response time for phone calls and meeting requests.
Coming out at the top for its business knowledge and problem-solving skills was Envision Financial, which also gained marks for the personal connection it makes with its clients.

This wouldn’t come as a big surprise to Envision’s staff, who understand exactly why the company scores so high for their one-on-one expertise.

Commercial account manager Stephen Bullock says the thing he hears most often from clients is that they’re surprised their account reps never visit them at their place of business.

Bullock gave the example of a Langley manufacturer that made plastic inserts for the apparel industry. “He could have tried to explain in a couple of hours what he does,” said Bullock. “But it’s a lot easier and certainly more informative for myself to visit his operations and see for myself.”

That, in a nutshell is one of the ways Envision has been setting itself apart from other financial institutions -- personal service that gets account managers out from behind their desks and actually taking an interest in learning their clients’ business first-hand.

As well, because Envision’s offers a variety of business services, it can serve many of their clients’ need.

“When I speak to a member, we can talk about estate planning needs or insurance needs, not just about getting a mortgage line of credit,” said Bullock. “We aren’t the transaction-type business; we’re more like in the consulting business.”

Envision also prides itself on having low turnover rates among employees, which means customers develop long-standing relationships and get to know their account managers very well. Many employees have been with the company well over 10 years.

That means a lot to clients like Jeff Fortin who has been with Envision for more than two decades. The owner of Fortin’s Supplies, an automotive parts and machine shop, has been very impressed with Envision’s service.

“One of the things that stands out is that they are solution driven,” said Fortin, who also owns a hardware store as well as commercial real estate. “They’ve got good people and they make things happen. I feel as though they are a partner.”

Fortin said that being a client with Envision for so many years, he has seen many services develop and especially likes the online banking options that Envision provides. He said he’s online every day checking his accounts and moving funds around and he has seen the product grow and change as Envision reacts to their clients’ needs.

“Their product gets better and better,” said Fortin of the online service. “They’re always making it more flexible.”

Flexibility is also important for Fortin when dealing in person with his account manager. He says that because there’s such a personal interaction with his Envision representative, there’s more flexibility for his banking needs and there’s a lot more control at the local level. His account manager can make a lot more decisions personally, rather than having to defer them to a head office. The one-on-one commitment has really made an impression.

“He’s in our store at least a couple or three times a year, and it’s meant a lot to me,” said Fortin.

It also means a lot to Envision staff. Account manager Jim Narroway calls it “the best part of the job.” Narroway’s clients include agricultural businesses, greenhouses, poultry and dairy farms, developers, commercial real estate buyers and large retail businesses. In each case, he said, he finds the most enjoyable part of the job being able to go out and talk to his clients to get to know their business. Part of Envision’s success, said Narroway, is due to hiring people “not just with the right aptitude, but with the right attitude, as well.”

“The one major significant difference at Envision is that we are always looking for ways to put the deals together to suit the member,” he said. “We don’t look for holes or weaknesses, but rather ways to strengthen their deal. We don’t look for ways to decline it. And members can sense that.”

Narroway adds that many Envision staff are active community members, participating in service club meetings and other events, giving them a strong profile in the community.

“Business people want to deal with people they are comfortable with, can get to know personally and who have that continuity,” Narroway said. “And Envision provides all that.”