Forget More Features—Kohler Credit Union Is Winning Members Over With Smarter Onboarding

While most financial institutions chase engagement by launching new products, Kohler Credit Union is betting on something simpler: helping members actually use what they’ve already got. Through a newly announced partnership with onboarding platform Swaystack, the Wisconsin-based credit union is transforming how—and when—members are introduced to digital banking.

The focal point? The first login.

“People don’t need more tools—they need direction,” said Matthew Fehrmann, CIO of Kohler Credit Union. “We had the right products, but lacked a cohesive onboarding experience that actively engaged members.”

So instead of pitching yet another perk or app feature, Kohler is guiding members through a personalized, omnichannel journey that begins before they even sign into their online account.

Turning First Impressions Into Lasting Engagement

Kohler Credit Union discovered a familiar problem plaguing community institutions: new members joined, but core account behaviors didn’t follow. Direct deposits were never set up. E-statements were ignored. The mobile app remained untouched. And with no structured onboarding in place, these members quietly drifted.

Enter Swaystack.

The platform delivers pre-login email prompts via personalized links, nudging users toward high-impact actions:

• Enrolling in online banking
• Downloading the mobile app
• Opting into e-statements
• Setting up direct deposit

If members don’t take action early, they’re prompted again upon login to Kohler’s Q2-powered digital banking experience—no guesswork required.

Behavioral Nudges That Drive Results

This isn’t just about usability—it’s about shifting key metrics.

Take direct deposit, for example. According to Financial Brand (2024), members with direct deposit in place can maintain 23% higher average balances, reinforcing the institution as their primary financial partner. Meanwhile, e-statements reduce paper and processing costs while offering faster, more secure access to financial records.

Members are even encouraged to activate debit cards and transfer recurring payments like subscriptions, boosting engagement and ensuring Kohler becomes the default institution—not a backup.

And the strategy doesn’t stop with checking accounts. Swaystack’s logic extends to lending, guiding borrowers through loan payments, app adoption, and product cross-sells, turning transactional borrowers into long-term members.

A Strategic Response to an Industry-Wide Challenge

With nearly a third of Kohler members not using digital banking—and a substantial number of indirect auto loan borrowers never fully onboarded—this shift goes beyond UI tweaks. It’s a strategic playbook to compete with fintechs and megabanks without matching them dollar for dollar.

“You can’t ask someone to commit to your institution if you never show them how,” said Har Rai Khalsa, Co-founder and CEO of Swaystack. “We guide them, nudge them, reward them, and connect the dots between behavior and benefit.”

The result? A scalable, adaptive engagement engine that evolves as members do.

Building Trust, One Click at a Time

In an era where fintechs move fast and big banks dangle flashy incentives, credit unions like Kohler must lean into what they do best: trust, service, and personalization. But as Khalsa points out, trust alone isn’t sticky unless it’s activated through thoughtful, tech-enabled design.

That’s why this partnership works—it’s not just a vendor handshake, it’s a weekly collaboration.

“Kohler Credit Union didn’t ask for a vendor. They asked for a partner,” Khalsa said. “This isn’t software you install and walk away from—it’s built to evolve with the member.”

Fehrmann agrees. “If a member logs in for the first time and thinks, ‘They actually thought this through,’ that’s the win. That’s how trust is built.”

And in today’s crowded financial services landscape, that first login might just be the most important moment you never thought to optimize.

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