Heritage Credit Union: supporting members 24/7 with Harry

The challenge

Heritage Credit Union serves more than 57,000 members across twelve branches and is one of the top 20 largest credit unions in Ireland.

As member expectations evolved, Heritage saw an increasing number of routine enquiries through phone, email and its website. Many of these questions related to information already available online, but still required time from the team to answer.

Heritage wanted to make it easier for members to find information quickly, particularly outside office hours, while giving staff more time to focus on complex queries and personalised member support.

A chatbot built around Heritage

To support the influx of repetitive enquiries, Heritage wanted a solution that would provide members with instant access to information, be available outside office hours and free up staff to focus more time on meaningful member enquiries.

Heritage chose CU Apps because of its experience and understanding of the credit union sector and its ability to tailor each chatbot around the credit union’s own products, services and member support. The team named their chatbot Harry.

Harry’s knowledge base is built on Heritage’s own products, services and member needs, making it a bespoke solution for Heritage Credit Union.

A collaborative onboarding process

Heritage found the onboarding process straightforward and well-managed. Staff were involved in reviewing and fine-tuning Harry’s knowledge in preparation for helping new and existing members on a variety of topics.

“Initially, some staff were unsure about what impact a chatbot might have and whether members would use it. However, once Harry went live and the team could see the quality of the responses and the volume of enquiries being handled, confidence in the platform grew quickly.”

Results and impact

Since launching Harry in March 2026, Heritage has seen a noticeable change in how members access information. Members can get immediate answers to many common questions without waiting for office hours or contacting a member of staff.

Heritage noticed that members particularly value having support available during evenings and weekends, as conversation volume stays steady at these times. For the team, Harry has helped reduce routine enquiries, allowing staff to spend more time on members with complex needs.

More than a chatbot

The CU Chat Portal gives Heritage access to chat logs and performance analytics, while weekly Insight Emails provide a quick summary of key activity and emerging trends from the previous week.

The questions members ask Harry highlight where information on the website could be clearer, what processes need simplifying or where members may be struggling to find what they need.

Heritage uses these insights to improve website content, communications and processes, proactively answering member questions before they become repeat enquiries. This gives Heritage a source of insight that would otherwise take significant staff time and resource to gather.

In Heritage’s own words

“Since launching our AI chatbot, Harry, we’ve seen a noticeable improvement in how members access information.

Members can now get answers to many common questions immediately without having to wait for office hours or contact a member of staff. We’ve also noticed that members appreciate the convenience of receiving immediate responses, particularly in the evenings and at weekends. Having support available 24/7 has enhanced the overall member experience.

Rather than replacing human interaction, Harry complements it by handling routine questions and directing members to the right information. This has helped reduce the number of routine enquiries coming through to the team, allowing staff to focus on more complex and meaningful interactions with members.

One of the most surprising benefits has been the insight Harry provides into what members are actually looking for. The weekly Insight Emails have been particularly useful because they provide a simple summary of key activity and trends without requiring us to actively search through reports. These insights have helped us identify opportunities to improve website content and proactively answer member questions before they become enquiries.

If another credit union was considering introducing a chatbot, we would encourage them to explore the opportunity. Members increasingly expect instant access to information, and Harry provides a practical way to meet those expectations while supporting staff efficiency.”

Looking ahead

Heritage sees Harry as part of its ongoing approach to improving member service, rather than a one-off technology project. As the team reviews Harry’s conversations, it is identifying new areas where his knowledge base can expand and using what it learns to improve services and communications.

“Although we are only at the beginning of our journey, we look forward to all the ways we can improve our service to our members through Harry.”