A New Friend and a Nissan
Jenny sat with her shoulders slumped and her brow furrowed, as snow began to fall outside. It was 11:00 AM, and she had walked from work to come to the closest bank she could find — a Choice Bank in Grand Forks — to cash a check from her employer that she desperately needed. There was just one catch—the check was issued from a different bank.
“We’re sorry,” said Elisha Ferguson, a Universal Banker. “This check is from another bank. You would have to go there to cash it.”
Elisha didn’t want to leave Jenny hanging so she offered to open an account for her at Choice Bank so that she could deposit the check there. But Jenny had recently lost her apartment and her car. Even her phone wasn’t working at the time. With no address or phone number, they didn’t have the information they needed to set up the account. Her only option was to go to the bank that had issued the check.
For Jenny, it seemed she was encountering obstacle after obstacle. She knew it wasn’t Choice Bank’s fault, but she felt angry nonetheless.
She paused before adding, “Once I get my stuff together, I’m definitely opening an account with you guys.”
As she walked to meet her family, Ryan and Elisha smiled, proud that they could prove once again how Choice Bank does things differently by being PeopleFirst.
“I don’t think she thought we would do anything for her,” Ryan said, reflecting on the story. “It’s showing her that we’re actually people, who actually care. We don’t want anyone to feel like a transaction.”
“It sounds cheesy,” Elisha added, “But every person who walks in is a potential customer. And every person is a potential friend.”
The Choice Bank core value know when to ask for help, know when to offer it comes to mind; Jenny didn’t even mean to ask for help, but in doing so, Elisha and Ryan were able to offer it and make her day a little brighter. And, in their 45 minutes together, they exemplified the value Smile, be helpful and be passionate. Jenny is not a Choice customer, and yet by showing her that they care about her as a person, Elisha and Ryan are showing what it means to truly be PeopleFirst.Our People First values are at the heart of everything we do. Learn more about our passion for putting People First here.