Baton Rouge Telco credit union sees $4 million in loan value from Appli calculators

Baton Rouge Telco Federal Credit Union launched Appli’s AI-powered calculators on its website and says the tools generated more than $4 million in loan conversion value in just over a month. The rollout highlights how credit unions are using embedded digital tools to drive lending activity and capture better usage data.

Why it matters: - Baton Rouge Telco Federal Credit Union says the new calculators are helping turn website traffic into measurable lending activity. - The rollout also gives the 90-year-old Louisiana credit union better visibility into member behavior than its previous calculator offered. - Appli is positioning the tools as a faster way for credit unions to add lending support without a heavy implementation burden.

What happened: - Baton Rouge Telco Federal Credit Union launched Appli’s AI-powered calculator solution on its website. - Appli said the calculators drove more than $4 million in loan conversion value within the first month live. - Baton Rouge Telco was founded in 1936 to serve local telephone company employees and is marking its 90th anniversary this year. - The credit union now serves people who live, work or attend school across its 10-parish footprint in the Baton Rouge area.

The details: - Kristin Romero, chief experience officer at Baton Rouge Telco Federal Credit Union, said the calculator stood out as a technology-forward tool with a strong user interface and user experience. - Romero said she tested tools used by other credit unions before choosing Appli. - The credit union wanted usable data beyond simple page views from its calculator experience. - The previous calculator could show only whether members reached the calculator page, not whether they used the tools or advanced in the lending process. - Appli built and configured the calculators using Baton Rouge Telco’s rates, loan policies and branding. - The implementation took only a couple of calls before the finished tools were ready to add to the website backend. - Romero described the rollout as a “super easy lift.” - Appli’s usage data showed a 17.7% conversion rate and 150 loan applications started in just over a month. - That conversion rate is above Appli’s target range of 15% to 20% for credit union partners. - Appli said more information is available at the company’s use cases page.

Between the lines: - The deal shows the value of embedded calculators as both a conversion tool and a data collection tool for lenders. - Baton Rouge Telco’s interest in campaign placement and push notifications suggests the credit union may use the calculators beyond its website homepage. - The lead capture feature could become more useful if members use it alongside the credit union’s existing lead forms. - Tim Pranger, CEO of Appli, framed the rollout as an example of the company’s low-friction implementation model.

What’s next: - Baton Rouge Telco plans to feature the calculators more prominently across its website. - The credit union also plans to use mobile app push notifications to send members to relevant tools. - Romero said the credit union will keep watching how members use the calculators’ lead capture feature. - Appli is likely to continue pitching the same fast deployment model to other credit unions.

The bottom line: - Baton Rouge Telco is treating Appli’s calculators as both a lending funnel and a measurement tool, and early results suggest the approach is already producing real loan activity.