How AI Assist is Transforming Employee Productivity for Financial Institutions

Rising service expectations are colliding with flat budgets and lean teams. For credit unions and community banks, the question isn’t whether to improve service – it’s how to do it efficiently, sustainably, and without increasing headcount or operational costs.

In a recent webinar, Srinivas Njay, Founder and CEO of interface.ai, shared his vision for solving this challenge with AI assist for employees, often known as Employee AI – a unified AI assistant, or “BankGPT” for employees, designed to connect systems across the institution and empower staff at every level to work faster, serve better, and do more with less. This blog explores how forward-thinking financial institutions are embracing AI assist for employees to improve internal productivity, reduce operational strain, and meet rising member expectations – all without compromising on cost, quality, or speed.

What is AI Assist for Employees?

AI assist, otherwise known as Employee AI, is your frontline workforce’s intelligent assistant. Designed for the unique needs of credit unions and community banks, it provides real-time access to knowledge, systems, and task automation – all in one seamless interface. 

It connects to your institution’s internal knowledge bases, policies, procedures, and historical data, as well as backend systems. The result? Employees get instant, accurate answers, can complete tasks more efficiently, and make informed decisions faster. Rather than digging through manuals, switching between systems, or consulting coworkers mid-call, frontline agents can rely on the AI assist to deliver answers to them from one interface in real-time a the customer types. It can instantly access policies and procedures, or even carry out tasks like blocking cards or fetching loan rates – either by guiding the agent or executing directly via APIs and RPA integrations. It can also assist with upselling and cross-selling during live conversations.

The impact of AI assist on employee performance

A study published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics (Q1 2025) evaluated over 5,000 customer support agents across Fortune 500 SaaS companies and uncovered some stunning results from AI assistance.

Benefits of AI Assist

• Higher resolution rates: Agents using AI resolved 15% more issues, increasing overall service effectiveness.
• Faster service: Achieved an 8.5% reduction in average handle time, allowing for quicker resolutions.
• Improved multitasking: Enabled agents to manage more simultaneous chats, increasing coverage without extra staffing.
• Boost for new agents: Novice agents saw a 30% productivity increase, rapidly closing the gap with experienced peers.
• Accelerated ramp-up: AI support helped less experienced agents reach higher performance levels in a shorter time.

These gains didn’t fade. Even after AI was withdrawn, the learning stuck – demonstrating the durability of AI-augmented training. More than just a performance enhancer, Employee AI acted as a coaching engine, accelerating employee ramp-up while improving both agent and customer satisfaction. These insights make a compelling case for Employee AI in financial institutions that are serious about efficiency, growth, and transformation.

Case studies: Real-world impact of Assist for Employees

At Affidian Credit Union, the introduction of the frontline assistant marked a turning point in addressing long-standing operational challenges. Previously, employees had to navigate fragmented information scattered across multiple systems, with no single source of truth. This led to inconsistent answers for members and a reliance on internal “call-a-friend” methods, which slowed response times and created bottlenecks.

Since launching Employee AI, usage has become a part of daily operations, earning universal praise from staff and dramatically improving the member experience with faster, more consistent responses. The success was fueled by thorough content preparation, strong leadership support, and proactive onboarding.

Watch the Affidian webinar

EFCU Financial faced similar hurdles, including over-reliance on individual expertise and the time-consuming process of searching multiple systems for accurate answers. After deploying Employee AI, the results were immediate. In just one month, the assistant handled more than 665 employee requests, freeing agents to focus on higher-value tasks and accelerating the speed and quality of member service.

Today, the call center uses the assistant hundreds of times each week, which is clear evidence of its early and significant impact.

Watch the EFCU Financial webinar

Wrap-up

The future of productivity in financial institutions lies in intelligent enablement. With Employee AI, staff across all roles can access insights, perform tasks, and make informed decisions – instantly and effortlessly.

This isn’t just another technology initiative – it’s a shift toward a more agile, responsive, and intelligent workforce. With Employee AI working behind the scenes, your teams can focus on what matters most: creating lasting value for members and customers.