BCU Adopts Visual Tech to Humanize Digital Banking Support

WAKEFIELD, Mass. – May 27, 2026 – In a significant move to address the growing pains of digital finance, Baxter Credit Union (BCU) is overhauling its member support system by integrating advanced visual assistance technology directly into its core operations. By partnering with Glance, a guided customer experience provider, and embedding its cobrowsing solution into Salesforce, the $6.4 billion credit union is tackling one of the most persistent problems in online service: the frustration and inefficiency of trying to solve visual problems with verbal-only support.

The initiative aims to provide BCU's more than 370,000 members with faster, more intuitive help, allowing them to visually share their on-screen issues with support agents in real-time. This shift from 'telling' to 'showing' represents a broader trend in the financial industry, where institutions are racing to enhance digital platforms without sacrificing the human connection that builds trust and loyalty.

Ending the 'Swivel Chair' Era

For years, contact centers have been plagued by the 'swivel chair' problem—a term describing the inefficient workflow of agents who must constantly switch between multiple applications to resolve a single customer issue. This digital juggling act not only slows down resolution times but also increases the likelihood of errors and contributes to agent burnout. For customers, the result is often longer hold times and the frustrating experience of repeating information as they are passed between departments or systems.

BCU identified this friction as a critical barrier to providing extraordinary service. The integration of Glance Cobrowse directly into its Salesforce CRM platform is designed to eliminate this problem entirely. Now, when a member calls for help navigating online banking, locating a document, or completing a transaction, a BCU agent can launch a secure, one-way visual session with a single click, all without leaving the Salesforce interface.

"We evaluated several options, but Glance quickly stood out as the ideal solution," said Dane Pellegrini, Senior CRM Product Manager at BCU, in a recent announcement. "It was easy to implement within Salesforce and simple to manage. Most importantly, it allows our members to show us what they're experiencing instead of trying to explain it. That creates a sense of clarity and relief, and it helps us resolve issues much faster."

This ability for an agent to instantly and securely see what the member sees on their screen transforms the support dynamic. Instead of relying on guesswork and lengthy verbal descriptions, agents can immediately diagnose the problem and guide the member step-by-step to a solution.

The Clear ROI of Human-Centered Tech

While improving the member experience is paramount, the move is also underpinned by a strong business case. The customer experience (CX) technology market is crowded, with competitors like Surfly, Upscope, and Glia all offering solutions to bridge the digital divide. The driving force behind this growth is the measurable return on investment (ROI) that comes from reducing operational friction.

Industry research quantifies the high cost of inefficient support systems. The 'swivel chair' workflow directly impacts key performance indicators such as Average Handle Time (AHT) and First Call Resolution (FCR)—the ability to solve an issue in a single interaction. According to a Total Economic Impact study by Forrester, platforms like Glance can deliver a staggering ROI approaching 400%, with benefits stemming directly from improved efficiency. Case studies have shown that integrated visual support tools can increase FCR by as much as 18% and reduce handling times by 14%.

For a not-for-profit, member-owned institution like BCU, these efficiencies translate into more resources that can be reinvested into better rates and services. By capturing data from each Glance session within the unified member record in Salesforce, BCU gains deeper visibility into member pain points, enabling continuous improvement of its digital platforms and support processes.

Bridging the Digital Divide with Empathy

Beyond the operational metrics, the adoption of cobrowsing technology speaks to a deeper strategic goal: keeping the 'human' in digital banking. As more financial interactions move online, the risk of service becoming impersonal and transactional increases. Visual support tools act as a powerful countermeasure, fostering empathy and understanding by creating a shared visual context.

This is particularly crucial during sensitive financial moments, where member anxiety can be high. Being able to visually guide a member through a complex loan application or help them find a critical tax document provides a level of reassurance that audio-only support cannot match. The technology is designed with security as a foundation; patented data-masking features prevent agents from seeing sensitive information like passwords or full account numbers, ensuring member privacy is protected throughout the interaction.

"Bringing human support directly into digital interactions is exactly where customer experience is heading," noted Heather Nightingale, Vice President of Product at Glance. She highlighted BCU as an example of how this integration "eliminates friction for customer service team members while giving members the clarity and confidence they need in important financial moments."

A Glimpse into the Future: AI and Expansion

The implementation at BCU is not just a solution for today's problems but also a foundational step toward the future of customer service, where human and artificial intelligence work in concert. The press release hints at this synergy, noting that the unified member record equips both human representatives and AI agents with a complete, 360-degree view of the member journey.

This creates the potential for a powerful hybrid model. An AI-powered chatbot could handle initial inquiries, and if it detects a member struggling on a specific webpage, it could seamlessly escalate the session to a human agent. That agent would enter the conversation with the full context of the AI's interaction and the ability to immediately launch a cobrowse session to resolve the complex issue.

BCU is already planning its next steps, intending to expand its use of Glance to other key platforms, including its new member application experience. This strategic rollout indicates a commitment to providing a consistent, high-quality support experience across the entire member journey, from initial onboarding to everyday banking. By investing in technology that enhances rather than replaces the human element, BCU is placing a clear bet that the future of financial services is not just digital, but digitally human.