Ken Raymie is a San Antonio, Texas-based banking executive with nearly three decades of experience in financial services leadership. He joined Generations Federal Credit Union in 2014 as vice president of commercial services and went on to serve as chief risk officer and chief operating officer before becoming president and chief executive officer in 2019, a position he held through 2024. Under his leadership, the credit union’s assets grew from $500 million to more than $750 million, while loan and deposit growth each increased by over 40 percent, contributing to the organization’s highest annual net income in its 83-year history. Earlier in his career, Ken Raymie held senior roles at KeyBank in Seattle, Transpecos Bank, and Broadway National Bank in San Antonio, beginning as an examiner with the U.S. Treasury’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. He holds an economics degree from Boston University and an MBA from Northeastern University.
Financial institutions spend considerable time thinking about what customers see, but the experience customers receive often begins somewhere less visible: with employees. A member who walks into a credit union branch, calls with a problem, or needs help navigating a loan application is interacting with a person whose ability to help depends partly on the experience that person has at work.
The connection is supported by research. A survey of more than 500 U.S. financial services employees by Eagle Hill Consulting found that 62 percent believed their employee experience affected their ability to serve customers. Yet fewer than half said their organizations placed a great deal of importance on employee experience.
That gap represents an important leadership opportunity. Employees need the tools, information, and authority to solve customer problems effectively. When internal systems are cumbersome or employees must navigate unnecessary layers of approval, those frustrations can eventually reach the customer.
A representative who spends several minutes searching for basic information, for example, cannot provide the same seamless interaction as someone who has the right information readily available.
This is particularly important in financial services because many customer interactions involve decisions that are personal or complicated. A digital platform can make routine transactions convenient, but customers may still want a knowledgeable person when they are buying a home or managing a financial setback. Gallup research has found that high-quality human conversations remain an important source of engagement in banking, particularly when customers need help with complex issues.
Improving employee experience means examining whether employees can do their jobs well. Leaders can look closely at processes that create unnecessary work, systems that do not communicate with one another, and policies that prevent frontline employees from resolving reasonable customer requests. Removing those obstacles can benefit employees while making service faster and more consistent.
The relationship also works through culture. Employees who understand what an institution promises its customers are better positioned to deliver on that promise. Gallup reports that highly engaged business units achieve higher customer loyalty, alongside stronger productivity and profitability. For financial institutions, that suggests employee engagement should be considered part of the customer strategy rather than an issue belonging exclusively to human resources.
Listening matters, too. Customer surveys can reveal where service is falling short, but employee feedback can help explain why. Employees often see operational problems long before they appear in customer metrics. Giving them meaningful ways to identify friction can uncover improvements that benefit both sides of the interaction.
For credit unions in particular, this connection can reinforce the member-focused model that sets them apart. A strong member experience depends on employees who have the capacity and support to build relationships rather than simply process transactions. That requires leadership attention to the employee journey at the same time the organization is measuring the member journey.
Customer experience is shaped through countless individual interactions. Technology and process improvements can make those interactions easier, but employees determine how an institution responds when a situation falls outside the script. Investing in their ability to do the job well can therefore become one of the most practical ways to strengthen customer loyalty. When employees have a positive, well-supported experience themselves, they are better equipped to create that same sense of trust and confidence for the people they serve.
About Ken Raymie
Ken Raymie is a San Antonio, Texas-based banking executive who served as president and chief executive officer of Generations Federal Credit Union from 2019 to 2024, following earlier roles as the credit union’s chief risk officer and chief operating officer. His nearly three-decade career also includes senior leadership positions at KeyBank, Transpecos Bank, and Broadway National Bank. He holds an economics degree from Boston University and a master of business administration from Northeastern University, and has served on the boards of the American Heart Association and the Bexar County Sheriff’s Foundation.
