Premier America Credit Union was experiencing a challenge familiar to many growing organizations: team members needed fast access to accurate information but finding that information was not always straightforward.
Resources, procedures, and organizational knowledge were scattered across multiple systems, creating friction for team members trying to locate answers quickly. As the organization grew, Premier America saw an opportunity to create a new experience. One that was accessible, consistent, and trusted.
The Challenge: Making organizational information easy to find and trust
The organization’s previous environment made it difficult to find and trust information. Documentation existed across multiple systems, updates were infrequent and lagged behind actual policy and process changes, and team members often relied on asking coworkers or locally-saved resources when attempting to locate answers. This meant information went out of date, fast.
The challenge was not simply to find a new intranet platform. It was to create a new environment where team members could more confidently search for information and trust that it reflected current organizational guidance, so they could provide excellent and confident member service.
Creating a more trusted team member experience
Premier America approached the initiative with a clear objective: make information easier to find, easier to maintain, and easier for team members to trust.
The result is the CAFE, an intranet platform team members actively use and a more reliable destination for organizational information.
With ThoughtFarmer, the organization consolidated resources into a unified experience that made information more accessible across credit union departments. Team members no longer needed to navigate disconnected tools and locations to find answers, reducing friction and helping them focus more on what matters: serving members.
Beyond improving access to information, the organization also built a stronger foundation for documenting and maintaining organizational knowledge over time. As the credit union grows and information needs evolve, Premier America now has an organized, sustainable approach to managing resources, supporting team members, and maintaining consistency across the organization.
Supporting team members during major change
The value of the intranet became particularly visible during Premier America’s significant project to convert to online banking.
The team supported approximately 15,000 member calls during a two-week period, far beyond what they’d normally expect during this time period, highlighting the importance of having a trusted source of information available when team members needed it most.
In order for team members to successfully support such a significant increase in member inquiries, access to timely information became even more important. The team turned to their intranet for support. During this period, intranet usage rose substantially as team members sought information, resources, and support materials needed to provide great service.
This demonstrates how accessible, trusted information is essential for supporting team members during periods of significant organizational change.
Building a scalable information governance model
The impact of their ThoughtFarmer intranet can be seen in both team member adoption and operational results. Information is easier to access, updates can be delivered more quickly, and team members increasingly turn to the intranet as a trusted destination for resources and guidance.
Technology was only part of the solution. Rather than emphasizing operational processes, the organization focused on outcomes: improving consistency, increasing confidence in organizational information, and creating a more scalable model for supporting team members as the organization continues to grow.
Premier America established a framework capable of supporting future growth while improving confidence in the information team members use every day. This included establishing content governance standards, defining ownership and accountability for information, creating consistent experiences for team members across departments, and improving the way information was organized, maintained, and accessed over time. Together, these efforts created a more sustainable model for managing organizational knowledge as the credit union continues to grow.
Today, the CAFE serves as a trusted resource supporting team members across branches, operations teams, and member-facing functions throughout the organization.
Results: Intranet adoption and business outcomes
Premier America’s intranet transformation delivered measurable results across several areas.
Increased information agility
Procedure updates increased from approximately 8-9 publishing cycles annually to more than 120 updates per year, helping team members access more current information and reducing delays between business changes and information updates.
Reduced software costs
By consolidating platforms, Premier America reduced external software spend by approximately 20 percent.
Improved efficiency
Departments estimate saving approximately 3-4 hours per week previously spent searching across disconnected resources and systems.
Intranet adoption and engagement
During the first year following implementation, the intranet generated approximately 500,000 views and 75,000 searches, reflecting strong team member engagement and usage across the organization.
A stronger foundation for the future
As organizational information continues to expand, Premier America now has a more scalable approach to supporting team member access to resources and knowledge while improving confidence in information across the organization.
Conclusion
By combining a modern intranet platform with a thoughtful focus on team member information needs, the organization improved accessibility, increased adoption, and created a stronger foundation for future growth.
While technology played an important role, the success of the initiative ultimately reflects Premier America’s commitment to making information easier to find, easier to trust, and more useful for team members.
ThoughtFarmer provided the platform. Premier America created the experience that made it successful.
Is your organization’s intranet keeping pace with your team members?
Download the Intranet Buyers Guide for Credit Unions to see how financial institutions are solving compliance, findability, and frontline communication challenges, or book a demo to see ThoughtFarmer in action.
