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"Alexa, check my account balance at Town & Country Federal Credit Union." Recently, that phrase became a reality for members of the credit union, which was the first CU and among the first financial intitutions in the country, to offer Amazon's voice-activated virtual assistant to securely access their personal account information using a range of brave-new-Millennial-world devices from the Echo to the Spot.
David Libby, President/CEO of Town & Country FCU, explained, "Branches are still an important part of our model but technology is, as well. We are very excited about voice digital assistants, and they have a lot of potential to make life easier for our members, who are able to use the technology to understand how their money is flowing through their everyday life."
Amazon unveiled Alexa in 2014 as a voice-activated service reportedly inspired by "Star Trek" and other science-fiction TV shows. In real life, Alexa connects to wireless devices via the cloud, allowing users to check the weather, play music and "Jeopardy!" and get factual questions answered with information from the internet just by asking (always starting with "Alexa."). Alexa can also interact with automated devices in the home such as thermostats, light switches and "smart" refrigerators that update shopping lists for owners.
Libby said that the CU will be adding more Alexa skills in the near future. "The possibilities are endless, and I'm proud to have our CU be one of the leaders in implementing this new technology. It wasn't too long ago that technology and credit unions didn't always get associated, especially by consumers, but this is one more example of credit unions embracing innovation."
Todd Mason, President of the Maine Credit Union League, agreed that the more credit unions can be viewed as innovators and leaders with technology, "the stronger credit unions are viewed technologically, and that is good for all Maine credit unions."