The Research Results Are In: How Employee Agent Assist Empowers Credit Unions & Community Banks

Credit unions and community banks face a balancing act today – delivering exceptional member service while maintaining operational efficiency.

Emerging research from the 2025 study “Generative AI at Work” published in The Quarterly Journal of Economics, highlights how employee agent assist, often referred to as employee AI more broadly, significantly enhances productivity, streamlines operations, and elevates the customer experience. 

At interface.ai, we’ve always championed the power of AI to transform customer service and agent productivity, and this research validates what we’ve known all along. This study validates our mission and highlights why tools like our Employee Agent Assist —a leading example of digital employee AI – offers a strategic advantage for smaller financial institutions. 

Let’s dive into the key takeaways from the research and explore how they translate into real-world benefits for credit unions and community banks.

Boosting productivity across the board

The study analyzed the impact of a Generative AI-powered assistant – a form of employee AI –  across 5,172 customer-support agents at a Fortune 500 company. The results were striking: 

• 15% increase in issues resolved per hour
• Faster chat resolutions
• Handling of more chats simultaneously
• Higher resolution rates with reduced response times

For credit unions and community banks, this translates to a powerful efficiency gain. Member service representatives often juggle inquiries ranging from account balance checks to loan applications – all while striving to maintain a personal touch. An AI-powered Employee Agent Assist, like the one offered by interface.ai, provides real-time response suggestions, links to internal resources, and automates repetitive tasks—allowing agents to focus on complex queries while maintaining a personal touch.

For institutions with limited staff, the productivity lift from digital employee AI can mean serving a growing membership base without proportionally increasing headcount.

Accelerating new hire success

One of the study’s most intriguing findings is the disproportionate benefit of employee AI  for less experienced and lower-skilled workers.

• 30% increase in productivity for less experienced agents
• New agents with just 2 months of experience performed like peers with 6+ months
• Reduced time and costs for training

Meanwhile, the highest-skilled agents saw minimal gains. This shows how employee AI is a powerful leveling tool that can amplify the capabilities of newer staff.

For credit unions and community banks, where staff turnover can be a challenge and training budgets are often constrained, this is a game-changer. New hires can onboard quickly with AI guidance, reducing the time and cost of traditional training. Imagine a new teller or call center agent confidently handling complex member queries—like setting up online banking or troubleshooting a payment issue—within weeks instead of months.

interface.ai’s Employee Agent Assist acts as a virtual mentor, offering real-time, context-aware support. This helps to accelerate learning to reduce the onboarding curve from months to weeks, as well as ensuring consistent service quality from day one.

Enhancing member experience and reducing staff turnover

Beyond productivity, the study found that employee AI significantly improves the work environment, with ripple effects on member interactions. Customers were more polite and less likely to escalate calls to a manager, reflecting greater confidence in the agents’ abilities. Sentiment analysis also showed a significant uptick in positive customer interactions, while agent attrition—especially among newer staff – dropped by up to 40%.

For credit unions and community banks, where member trust and loyalty are paramount, this means smoother, more personalized experiences. 

interface.ai’s Employee Agent Assist leverages advanced language models to craft responses that perfectly align with your institution’s unique tone, values, and member-centric approach. This ensures every interaction feels personal, thoughtful, and consistent – making members feel truly heard and valued.

By providing agents with real-time, context-aware suggestions, the solution not only reduces the need for escalations, but also streamlines workflows. This eases the pressure on staff and improves overall efficiency.

With fewer escalations and smoother operations, employees experience less stress, leading to higher job satisfaction and lower turnover rates. This stability helps preserve institutional knowledge, reduces hiring and training costs, and fosters a more experienced, effective team – all while enhancing the member experience.

Mastering complex and rare member enquiries

The research also revealed that digital employee AI excels in handling moderately uncommon issues – the kinds of queries agents encounter just often enough to need guidance but not so frequently that they’ve mastered them. In contrast, very common issues (like password resets) see smaller gains, as agents are already adept at handling them.

This insight is particularly relevant for credit unions and community banks, where inquiries can span a wide range – from routine transactions to niche requests like international wire transfers or regulatory compliance questions. interface.ai’s Employee Agent Assist excels in this “long tail” of moderately uncommon issues, providing agents with precise guidance when their own experience falls short. This ensures customers receive prompt and accurate answers, reinforcing your institution’s reputation as a reliable partner.

Why employee agent assist is strategic advantage for smaller institutions

Credit unions and community banks often operate with leaner resources than large banks. They must maximize every dollar and staff member. The study reveals that employee AI offers this edge, helping smaller institutions compete without stretching budgets thin. And it doesn’t just enhance efficiency – it reshapes how work is done, making it more rewarding for employees and more satisfying for customers and members. With interface.ai’s Employee Agent Assist, smaller financial institutions can:

• Compete with larger players: Deliver fast, high-quality service that rivals bigger banks without breaking the budget.
• Retain top talent: Reduce burnout and turnover by empowering agents with tools that make their jobs easier and more fulfilling.
• Scale services sustainably: Handle increased service demand without a proportional rise in staffing costs.

interface.ai has tailored its Employee Agent Assist to meet the unique needs of credit unions and community banks. Built on cutting-edge AI, it integrates seamlessly into existing workflows, offering real-time support that’s customized to your products, policies, and member base.

Looking ahead

The ‘Generative AI at Work’ study is a snapshot of digital employee AI’s potential in a specific context, but its implications are broad. For credit unions and community banks, the message is clear: employee AI isn’t just a luxury – it’s a strategic necessity.

By boosting productivity, accelerating training, and enhancing member interactions, tools like interface.ai’s Employee Agent Assist can help smaller institutions punch above their weight in a competitive landscape.

Ready to see AI in action? Watch this video of Employee Agent Assist to understand how it works and the tangible benefits it can bring to your institution.