Patrick Basler

Patrick Basler is Chief Experience Officer at Great Lakes Credit Union, where he oversees member experience, the contact center, marketing and brand, and the credit union’s foundation. Nearly three decades in the credit union movement have given him a broad view of CX that connects service, technology, access, and trust.

Listening is a central part of Basler's CX model, and it includes paying close attention to what members are asking for and using those signals to guide improvements. Instead of trying to anticipate every future need, he identifies where the current experience creates friction and fixes those problems first.

These fixes show room for innovation, and Basler approaches it by asking whether a technology makes the institution easier to use and more responsive to members. For him, its value lies in reducing friction, improving access, and helping people get better support when they need it.

Basler brings the same mindset to AI, looking for practical ways it can improve the member journey. At Great Lakes, that includes member service, outbound communications, mortgage workflows, and financial guidance. He values AI for its ability to reduce repetitive work, shorten the path to an answer, and give employees better information when helping members.

As routine service becomes easier to automate, Basler’s approach keeps the relationship at the center, especially when members need reassurance, guidance, or help making a decision. The strongest use of technology is not to distance the credit union from its members, but to create more room for the interactions where trust gets built.