Jovia Financial Credit Union cuts wait times in half with Waitwhile

The challenge

Managing visitor sign-ins at 22 branches had become inefficient and inconsistent. Jovia was relying on a very basic sign-in program on iPads at a few branches – and most other locations were using pen-and-paper logs. This patchwork approach meant limited insight into branch traffic and wait times, and no easy way to analyze service performance across locations. 

“We needed a more robust solution for signing people in and generating data,” Bertram recalled, noting that they were looking for a user-friendly system. The primary goal was to give members a smoother, tech-driven arrival experience and give management better data – from how long it takes to open a new account to which branches see the most foot traffic.

Jovia’s leadership also knew that any new system had to fit their culture of innovation. The team didn’t want a clunky tool that staff or customers would resist. “If you know Jovia, you know we’re all about innovation, so this just fits right in with us… it all just fits with the culture,” said Bertram Martin, reflecting on the decision to go with Waitwhile. In short, Jovia set out to replace their legacy sign-in methods with a modern solution that could handle walk-ins and appointments in one place, while providing the real-time visibility they’d been missing.

The solution

After evaluating their options (and even piloting a separate appointment-scheduling tool), the Jovia team chose Waitwhile for its flexibility, usability, and rich feature set. They loved that one platform could manage both walk-in visits and scheduled appointments – something their old setup couldn’t do. “We wanted everything to be in one system so everybody’s using the same process. Waitwhile worked out for that,” Bertram noted, explaining how using Waitwhile replaced the need for multiple tools.

Bertram Martin
Assistant Vice President of District Management

Implementing Waitwhile across all 22 branches was surprisingly simple. Jovia’s Customer Success Manager at Waitwhile helped configure one pilot branch and then replicate the setup at every other location. In just a short time, each branch had an identical, cloud-based system in place. “The whole setup was very seamless and easy,” Allison said, noting that the Waitwhile team did much of the heavy lifting for the initial configuration. Allison then took charge of training, creating how-to procedures and even sharing an intro video to get all branch employees up to speed quickly. As a result, staff across the credit union were using Waitwhile confidently from day one.

Walk-in members now sign in on an iPad at the lobby (or scan a QR code with their phone) to join a digital waitlist – no more paper clipboards. They input a few quick details and select their needed service (like New Account Opening, Loan Application, Online Banking, etc.), and immediately their name appears in the branch’s Waitwhile queue. For those who prefer to plan ahead, Jovia also uses Waitwhile’s appointment scheduling, allowing members to book branch visits in advance online, and those appointments flow into the same system for the branch team. “It’s quicker than our old process. People come in, answer a few questions on the iPad, and then keep it moving,” Bertram said of the streamlined  experience.

Because Waitwhile is web-based and highly configurable, Jovia was able to tailor the interface to match their brand. “We tapped our partners in marketing, and they saw how we could put our Jovia spin and style on it,” Bertram explained, referring to the custom colors, logos, and terminology that were applied to the Waitwhile pages. It wasn’t a one-size-fits-all product, which the team appreciated. “It was important that the new system felt like an extension of our brand, and Waitwhile made that possible”. From the member-facing screens to notification messages, the experience was configured to look and feel like Jovia – just with a lot more tech-powered convenience behind it.

The impact

The operational impact of Waitwhile was felt almost immediately. With members now checking in through a digital queue, branch teams gained real-time visibility into who was waiting, what they needed, and how long they’d been there. Members benefited from this transparency, too. Rather than sitting anxiously with no information, they can see exactly how many people are ahead of them in line and receive a text alert when it’s their turn. “They don’t have to sit by the lobby wondering anymore,” Allison noted. 

Allison Barriga
⁠District Administration Manager

Behind the scenes, Waitwhile’s analytics and reporting provided data to the team that they simply couldn’t get before. “Before, we only had a general idea of which branches were busy. Now we can see exactly how many members each branch is helping, and whether they have the right staffing coverage,” Allison explained, highlighting the ability to pinpoint needs and allocate resources better. 

Every week, Allison pulls detailed reports for all locations and shares key metrics with branch managers – things like average wait time, number of members served, and the most common services at each branch. Managers can even dive into their own location’s data on demand. This level of insight has empowered Jovia’s leadership to make more informed decisions (for example, ensuring the busiest branches have extra support during peak hours) and to celebrate team efficiency gains where they see improvements.

The numbers speak for themselves. Since rolling out Waitwhile, Jovia has seen average wait times drop by almost 50% (from about 19 minutes to 10 minutes on average) and a noticeable increase in staff productivity. More importantly, member satisfaction is up. Bertram noted that by shedding light on wait times and process bottlenecks, Waitwhile helped address some long-standing member feedback about waiting too long for service. “Reporting — particularly on wait times — was a huge eye-opener, because it gave us transparency we never had before and helped us tackle those service delays,” he said.

Internally, the reception has been overwhelmingly positive. “Generally, everyone likes the program,” Allison said, referring to the frontline staff’s response. Employees find the interface simple to use, and the few minor hiccups (like an occasional forgotten sign-in) are easily caught and corrected with the help of Waitwhile’s data. Weekly summary reports even turned into a coaching tool: branch managers use them to spot training opportunities and ensure everyone is using the system consistently and correctly. 

Perhaps the best part is how Waitwhile has reinforced Jovia’s culture of transparency and innovation. Introducing digital queues and real-time updates in the branches sent a message to both staff and members that Jovia is committed to modern, frictionless service. “Our members were already used to self check-ins at places like the doctor’s office, so offering that at our credit union just made sense,” Bertram said. “You go anywhere these days and look for an iPad to sign in. It’s normal, and it shows we’re keeping up with the times.”

By partnering with Waitwhile, Jovia transformed a formerly clunky process into an efficient, data-driven system that works beautifully across all 22 locations. The credit union’s operations team can now see the big picture and the small details at once – and they have the flexibility to continue refining their service experience. “It’s been a win for our branches, our staff, and most importantly, our members,” Allison said.