Community Love: U Financial Fundraisers for Charity are among our goals for 2017

One of the many things planned alongside the inevitable roll out of U Financial products and services we will begin to offer in 2017, is the importance of our active connection to the Edmonton community. At U Financial we feel that there is significance in ‘pitching in’ when it comes to events and organizations that support charities. There is value in taking charge, rolling up the shirt sleeves, and becoming a part of an event where the goal is to ‘give back’ to our community and (if successful) bring awareness to the cause or events these organizations host. We feel that in doing so, this builds the bridge between our company and the community by revealing our compassion for people in need. U Financials’ involvement with these organizations also demonstrate the importance of our goal to help our clients become financially stable by educating them on the kinds of products and services available to them. (see our previous USPEAK blog post ‘Quality Customer Service: Are U satisfied with your FinancialInstitution?’)

The Gingerbread House Campaign

One of the campaigns we launched in mid-November 2016 was ‘The Gingerbread House’ campaign in support of 630 CHED’s Santa’s Anonymous and TheEdmonton Food Bank. We took community initiative by creating custom graphics for this campaign (featuring Kate and Alvin) and launched it on all of our social media platforms inviting all members of the Edmonton community to ‘come in’ and drop off a new toy or non-perishable food item in support of these organizations. We were successful in our collections and brought a bundle of toys to the 630 CHED Santa’s Anonymous drop off and a bountiful food supply to The Edmonton Food bank. We plan on supporting this event every November/December and hope to build our trust with these organizations through continuous support.

U Financial 2017 – Community Fundraisers

When we rolled over into 2017, we sat down with the management team here at U Financial and discussed how we could look at community involvement semi-annually. When we looked at the kinds of organizations that we would like to support, the discussion came up with our Customer Service Manager, Carmel Whittaker, that she and her family had received help from Guardian Veterinary Centre’s ‘Guardian Fund’ several years back when vet bills for their family pet Paddington (dog) began to skyrocket after he required hospitalization and expensive medications. ‘I can’t thank them enough for their financial assistance through the Guardian Fund’, Carmel said, ‘if there is any organization we can help give back to, I would personally like to see us (U Financial) give back to the Guardian Fund as a way of thanking them when our family needed them.’ (see the story of 'Drifter' the dog via Guardian Veterinary Centre here)

It is no secret that anyone who comes into our branch (located at 9004 118 Ave NW, Edmonton, will see Memphis and Minew running around our office. These two adorable felines are the beloved staff rescue pets who have a permanent home at our branch. In fact, most of the staff here at U Financial have pets at home and have often required Veterinary care for their animals. Most of us here view our pets as another family member and we value the importance of the healing and comfort properties they bring.

In investigating further as to what kind of event we would like to host or be a part of in 2017, our marketing team sourced out a wonderful organization called Berkeley’s place, a non-profit organization whose primary goal is:

“to honour all aspects of our pet’s lives and our relationship with them. Many people are unaware of the many rescue organizations who are helping animals or have misconceptions about rescue animals. Berkeley's Place is a page to come to find support, encouragement, holistic healing options using crystal and oil therapy, to network with like-minded animal lovers and guardians, to share positive stories, find recipes for your furry and feathered friends and to learn more about healing trauma and abuse in animals” – Berkeley’s Place (excerpt from their Facebook page which can be found here)

Early talks have begun with the organization and U Financial and we will reveal more details here on USPEAK later in the year with exactly how we hope to assist with the organizations ‘Wine and Whiskers’ charity fundraiser 'Old Hollywood-themed' event in September 2017. Watch for it! 

U Financial Encourages Equality in the Workplace | 'We're With Her'

Although there have been some huge strides in the world since the 1950’s ‘The-little-wife-is-in-the-kitchen-and-waiting-on-her-husband’ way of thinking, there is still quite significant strides to go in terms of women’s rights. Especially in terms of the work force and career positions. On January 21^st, 2017, over five million women (and men!) worldwide, (one million of those in Washington, D.C.!) marched, spoke, and made their voices heard in the Women’s March and made history. Further to this, the organization plans to continue their awareness by taking ‘action’ every 10 days for 100 days.

 

In Edmonton, between 3500 to 4000 men, women, and children marched to the Legislature building to demonstrate their firm position that ‘women matter’. Female Politicians, Premier Rachel Notley and Calgary-Northwest MLA Sandra Jansen have been attacked and targeted on social media in the past and Albertans are fed up. Many men at the march in Edmonton claimed that they want equal opportunity for their wives and daughters and that the masochistic way of thinking brought to light during elections south of the border is archaic and outdated.

Speaking in terms of empowerment, here at U Financial, we can honestly speak for women when we say, ‘We are all about empowering women in the Workforce here. In fact, our CEO is female and a powerhouse! She treats everyone equally and encourages the staff to do the same. We feel that the equality among both genders in our environment is balanced. We also feel that women today in some competitive career environments do have the pressures of having to appear ‘tougher’ in terms of career equality. 

Recently we touched base with Natasha Dunbar, Founder of Morgan’s Mission in Fort. Saskatchewan, Alberta, and she gave us an interesting perspective in terms of how this kind of social ‘backslide’ is trickling down to the next generation. The Dunbar’s are a family whose daughter Morgan Dunbar died by suicide at the age of 13 to because of severe cyber-bullying among her peer group. The family insists that the pressures that are impressed on youth today is unrealistic in terms male/female equality and strides toward changing stigmas needs to happen and be congruent among both sexes.

Here is what she had to say:

“This morning my husband was a tad nervous about the class one driving (course) he was taking and feared getting the (female) instructor who didn’t help another co-worker of his. I told him there was the possibility he just didn’t approve of women being in his line of work and he agreed and hadn’t thought of that. I told him this happens in his trade (crane operator) and he agreed. The sad part is, I have also witnessed in his trade, women who take advantage of being female to get out of some work-related things. This makes it tough for those who fight for equality in the workforce. He has made it clear he treats women no different and is very clear to what will be expected if our daughter (Bailey) takes a career in the crane operator trade. My husband’s approach to women in an equal trade has been noticed even by a former NAIT instructor who has commented about my husband being an instructor because of his ability to treat everyone equal.

It bothers me when I see women posting how this made "us" look like fools or ‘it was stupid’. They are missing the big picture of what this whole march was about. I told my husband while watching and reading everything Saturday that its like we are starting to move backwards instead of continuing forward. I don’t think it (the march) has changed anything, just made it more forthcoming. Trump is now in a position of great power and influence which can make his choices dangerous. He has little regard for women and anyone who can watch with non-partisan eyes can see that. That can, and will be catastrophic to our youth! Young men will see this and think its okay (to behave this way) when its not acceptable in any way! Its basically saying that they should act on their urges and not practice self control!

We are back to fighting harder to be seen as a man's equal! It’s like we are moving backwards again. I like to think at least this time around, we have more men who have evolved and see us as equals so our fight wont be as hard this time. Last night, I sat for a long time just thinking about everything that happened in the last year in regards to women in politics, women in trades etc., and I slowly started to realize that the bigger picture is: we are so focused on proving things to ourselves and to others that we are forgetting to stand united. Saturday was a huge start in changing that but we must keep that motivation going and pass it down to all our youth. The more we stand together the stronger we are."

________________________________

Thoughts? We welcome discussion in the ‘Comments’ section of our blog below. 

Quality Customer Service: Are U satisfied with your Financial Institution?

How often have you walked into a financial institution and felt intimidated by the lingo or terminology that Customer Service representatives often present in their approach. Here at U Financial, we believe that first impressions last and offering our clients the best customer experience is key.

Recently, we sat down with our Manger of Customer Service, Carmel Whittaker and asked her some very important questions that our clients will want to know:

Q. Being that you are our Customer Service Manager, what do you feel is the importance of Customer Service?

CW – A lot of the times Customers come to us and they are in a bad place financially because they have a lot of debts and collection agencies are phoning them every day. From a Customer Service perspective, we’re dealing with people who are already upset, annoyed, and feel like they are backed into a corner and don’t know how to get out of it. For us to be that person, that shoulder they can lean on to help them through those times, I think, is the most important part of what we’re doing here at U Financial.

A lot of the times people are not aware of the options they have available to them unless someone sits down and walks through it with them. Even something so simple as the Financial Capacity Assessment we do here (FCA report of income and expenses), people don’t realize where their money goes on a monthly or even weekly basis. Being able to help our clients visually see this is very important.

Q. Where do you see U Financial going over the next year in terms of growth?

CW – Massive. (laughs) That would really be the best way I could describe it. Over the next year, we’re going to look at opening a couple of additional storefronts. We are looking at three in Edmonton, and then look at branching out towards the Red Deer and Calgary areas. With our referring agencies that are sending clients to us at this moment, we’re definitely not going to run out of leads. The main goal of opening the additional storefronts is to be able to handle the influx in addition to launching new products and services for our clients.

Q. What are your thoughts on U Financials’ impact in community engagement at events? What do you feel is the importance of it?

CW – I think anytime that you have a platform where you can speak out is important to get involved in. We have identified some of the things that are important to U Financial: organizations that support children or pets and families in need. Being able to utilize the people that we have available to speak publicly at these kinds of events and help raise awareness through fundraising efforts embodies who we are: a company that is helping people who aren’t able to help themselves.

Q. What can clients expect when they walk through the door at U Financial?

CW – A friendly environment. We want people to feel comfortable here so there’s no judgement. Most of all, we want our clients to feel relief. We’re helping to pay off their debts, so that automatically provides relief for our clients.

Q. How do you feel we can help clients long-term once they have an established history with us?

CW – Reporting to the credit bureau is one of the main ways that we can help establish a client’s credit history. We are also looking at incorporating financial education pieces that we are really excited about because this helps people build their credit right away by us paying off their old debts for them. We offer interest rate reductions as well which is very important because if one is ‘credit-challenged’ already, it’s difficult to get any sort of manageable credit products. By manageable, I mean: manageable interest rates, etc. By helping people to acquire an affordable loan and work with us on the interest rate reduction, we are helping them to move forward financially.

Long term, for example, we are looking at the divorced mom who had a hard time in the divorce process and suddenly, she has these debts and doesn’t know how to get out (of debt). Now this mom is going to be able to co-sign for her child’s education. She’s going to be able to buy that house that she wasn’t able to before. She’s going to be able to co-sign for her children for a vehicle and things of that nature that she wouldn’t be able to previously. I also think that when we get into the financial education aspects of it, we’re going to be talking to these clients about savings, retirement funds, and all those other things that schools don’t teach youth today. It’s going to be important to help people have a better financial future.

Q. I know our interest rate is at 49.9%, and of course, we look at a reduction of 2% every six months provided that the customers payments are on time. How do you, from a Customer Service perspective handle the odd client whose reaction is shocked that the interest rate is high?

A. It’s 49.9% yes, but that’s not the actual interest rate. Throughout the course of the loan, because we work off simple interest and it does descend, interest is only charged on the principle balance at the time. So, every payment a client makes, they’re paying less and less interest. The actual interest rate throughout the course of a loan averages between 23 - 30% and that’s without any interest rate reduction. It does seem high at the very beginning, the reality is, we have a responsibility to disclose that APR (Annual Percentage Rate) to our clients because that’s what the percentage rate is if you never make a payment on your loan.

Q. What can you tell us about other companies who aren’t disclosing this up front? Meaning: if a client comes to you and compares our interest rates to the financial institution down the street – how do you advise them on the actuality of the situation?

CW – We had that happen just the other day with respect to a client who took out a title loan with us. He mentioned that the other company had a much lower interest rate and payback. So, I did a secret shop on this company and found out that they disclose their interest rate at 3.8% per month. When I asked them what the APR was, they refused to disclose anything further to me. I then did the math myself and their actual APR was 47% plus fees. When I asked more about the fees, they advised me that the fees depend on the size of the loan. In my mind, this tells me that it’s probably a broker fee (which we don’t have here) which you have to incorporate into the APR, so their APR is higher than ours once you incorporate those fees in.

Q. Interesting. Have you had to ever explain that to anyone? Have they unde3rstood what you are explaining to them?

CW – We do it all the time when we are talking on the phone. We tell them that we are working off the descending interest rate and is only charged on principle which means that every payment made, clients are getting charged less and less on interest. Clients seem to be receptive to this. We don’t really get a lot of follow up questions. That could be good or bad because it could mean that they have no idea what you are really talking about or it could be that they understand completely. It is our hope that if they are signing a contract with us and they have questions they would feel free to ask them.

Q. Would that be something U Financial would look at in terms of customer service going forward when we do start to roll out new products? Would our staff be trained to identify if the customer is comprehending and would we then be having these kinds of discussions with clients?

CW – I think it’s important. Definitely. Right now, it’s a little more difficult because we are doing a lot of things over the phone vs. in person consultations. My ideal situation is once a customer hits the six-month mark of their loan, we begin investing a lot of time into their financial education, helping to build their credit by having these types of discussions. We will talk to them about APR and what that means.

Q. How do you feel about the team we have assembled here at U Financial?

CW – I love everybody. (laughs) Everyone works so well together and I think it’s always important to have such a cohesive group. Not everyone’s going to like each other all the time but for the most part, everyone is very proactive, takes the bull by the horns, and get’s the job done. The team is amazing. I’ve never seen so much camaraderie with one another in a workplace.

Q. How do you feel the team work transcends into when we do community fundraisers and events? Even how we present ourselves through our branding (with Kate & Alvin) – what are your thoughts on all of that? If someone were to come up to you and say: ‘Hey, what is the team like over there? What is the environment like at U Financial?

CW – Fun. I think that would be the best way to put it. We assembled a team of intelligent individuals – they are people who don’t take things personally with clients. We talked about customers earlier in this discussion about how they are in a tight spot and may already be very stressed, so to have Customer Service staff who don’t take this projection personally and continue to move throughout their day happy and friendly is important. When we are talking about community events, and U Financial being active in our community, I would have to say that we are an extremely fun group. People like to be around us and I think that translates well in terms of the public facing aspect of Customer Service.

Q. Absolutely! How is U Financial different than other financial institutions? How would you define it as different?

CW – We are different in a lot of ways. People will look at us and see that we are offering some of the same products and services, etc. as other financial institutions, but we are doing it in a way that benefits the customers more than the norm. For instance, you asked me earlier about other institutions who aren’t disclosing fees up front. I think that the transparency we give is one of the things that makes us different. We disclose everything right from the beginning, in fact, we over-explain really. I think that’s one of the things that make us different is that we are honest. We wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t legitimately believe that we are helping people. Obviously, we are a company and we need to make money, but if we can come to work every day and be happy knowing you can really help people, that’s something to be proud of. Every single person here feels that way about our products.

Q. Great! Well thank you for your time!

CW – No problem! I hope this helped to clear up some questions. Have a great day! 

The U Financial Logo

What’s in a name? When the U financial team got together to brainstorm for a suitable name for our company in the summer of 2016, we felt we needed something that was fun, easy to remember, and would represent the company best with the focus on these key phrases. In addition to the name, color scheme was important in terms of standing out among the competition. The following is the breakdown of how the U Financial name came to be:

When we began the color scheme for the logo, we did a little research first. Purple is often associated with anxiety, depression, crisis, and therapy. This is often the case with most clients who come to us for financial assistance. When we combine the color purple with a friendly font, it eliminates the element of intimidation for our clientele. Often, most people are humbled already to be seeking financial assistance so the appearance of 'U Financial' as a friendly financial institution was important. (see below)

When we add Kate & Alvin into our marketing presentations, we add the ‘fun’ element making our company more personable and approachable. The result is a more fully operational, functional, and professional appearance that can be applied to all our marketing needs such as gravatars for our Social Media pages and other marketing ideas for seasonal use. (see examples below)

You can read more about Kate & Alvin in our previous post by (clicking here)

The primary logo for U financial is the name itself as a stand-alone and will be used on our promotional items that will surface in the coming months such as: pens, t-shirts, hats, stationary, and lanyards. We are looking to be an active participant in the Edmonton community and with two major charity events each year, there will be no doubt that U Financial will be a household name among all age groups.

The U Financial name

When deciding upon the name for a financial company whose main goal is to empower and educate their clients on becoming more financially stable, the ‘U’ in ‘U Financial’ made sense. We are looking to the future in bringing specialized products and services that will empower ‘U’, our client! After all, it’s all about ‘U’! Also, the ‘U’ alone makes for many fun acronyms which translate to shorter posts on our social media platforms with hashtags such as: #Ufin, #ThankU #Umatter #Ufinancial, and our newest blog platform #USPEAK to name a few. Going forward, it is our intention that the ‘U’ becomes a stand-alone component to our marketing vision in it’s iconic font and color making things such as an android or iPhone apps easily identifiable.

For more information on our products and services, please contact us at 587-881-4320 locally and 1-844-449-5626 toll free. 

Introducing Kate & Alvin, the face of the U Financial support team!

Welcome to our new blog platform for U Financial! Before we get into some awesome features, updates, and articles, let’s begin by introducing Kate and Alvin:

Alvin

Alvin is a friendly and enthusiastic individual whose overall look is professional, youthful, and approachable. Alvin represents our ‘frontline’ customer service representatives that U Financial clients would meet upon first walking into our branch.

Alvin is a very intelligent young man who has knowledge in many professional spheres: particularly, the financial kind. You can often find Alvin staying late after hours crunching numbers and possibly, falling asleep at his desk to ensure his client accounts are properly looked after.

Kate

Kate is a spunky, incredibly intelligent individual whose financial savvy and extensive knowledge bring support to the U Financial team. Kate has a high level of professionalism that is clearly demonstrated through every interaction she has with her clientele and staff. Kate also has her MBA (Master of Business Administration) and is a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst).

In addition to her excellent level of education, she has impeccable fashion sense: with her adorable hair bun, tights, and ribbon belt, she is indeed one cute and professional looking young business lady. Kate, much like Alvin, works very hard for U Financial clients to ensure quality and efficiency through dedication and commitment.

The Title Store & U Financial

In the fall of 2016, the marketing team began working on branding for U Financial. It made sense to add the warmth and personality that Kate and Alvin bring to the U Financial name. It was important to the company that the new name would reflect the outgoing, fun, friendly, and professional staff here at U Financial.

So how did we introduce this dynamic duo?

On October 31^st, 2016, Kate and Alvin were seen for the first time on our Title Store social media platforms appearing in black and white.

With the pair comfortably seated in The Title Store’s ‘little red corvette’, now known as The Title Stores’ official logo and brand, the transition in launching into the holiday season with The Gingerbread House campaign was an easy one. This was a kick off charity fundraiser in support of Edmonton’s Food Bank and 630 CHED’s Santa’s Anonymous which also introduced Kate, Alvin and the little red corvette to the Edmonton community with a 'Here I Am!' bang. Indeed, the pair were featured in brilliant colored banners, logos, and icons on social media where we were successful in our collection of non-perishable food items and new toys.

By mid-December, Kate and Alvin cleverly unwrapped each letter of the U Financial name right up until Christmas Day where the U Financial name was assembled on their Christmas tree. Following Christmas, they carefully packed up the new letters and transported them over to U Financial. On January 1^st, 2017, we launched a video on The Title Store social media showing Kate and Alvin driving through Edmonton in the red corvette which cleverly transforms into purple, thus directing our followers to the new social media platforms for U Financial. This can be seen on The Title Store Facebook page.

All of this was posted on social media for both The Title Store and U Financial throughout the month of December 2016. While Kate and Alvin have migrated over to the U Financial social media, the little red corvette remains the primary logo for The Title Store to this day.

Both social media platforms continue to promote each component of their perspective business names through dynamic visuals that bring the ‘human’ element of warmth. This builds the bridge between our clients and our staff by demonstrating the kinds of products and services we provide in a comprehensive manner.

U Financial in 2017

U Financial is an Edmonton based specialized service provider of alternative financial products and services. The company is in the process of re-branding their physical location and website along with tailoring and providing *new* client products within the next 12 months. This will coincide with the current branding on the U Financial social media platforms. At present, U Financial offers debt consolidation loans for clients in need. More info to come as newer products roll out. The U Financial website will launch in the spring of 2017. Watch for it!

U Speak Blog

The U Speak blog is our newest social media platform primarily representing U Financial. Here, we will feature the latest U Financial news, updates, and resources. We encourage comments on our blog and welcome all new visitors, sharing of content, and inquiries. You will see a convenient menu at the top of the blog that directs you to all our social media platforms and websites (with U Financial currently under construction). We encourage everyone to subscribe to our blog so that you don’t miss all the cool products and community events we will be promoting in 2017.

There are many exciting things on the horizon as we charge full steam ahead into 2017. We look forward to engaging with our community, networking, and connecting with new clients through one on one interaction via phone, email, and at our branch. We plan on hosting two huge charity fundraisers each year: one at Christmas and the second in the spring/summer months. We love networking and engaging in community events so look out for the little ‘purple’ corvette with Kate and Alvin!

Most of all, welcome to U Financial!