Baton Rouge Telco calculators drive USD $4m in loans

Baton Rouge Telco Federal Credit Union has added Appli's financial calculators to its website. In just over a month, the tools generated more than USD $4 million in loan conversion value, according to the lender.

Appli's usage data also showed 150 loan applications were started and a 17.7% conversion rate. That is above the 15% to 20% range the software provider says it typically targets for credit union partners.

Baton Rouge Telco is a Louisiana credit union founded in 1936 to serve local telephone company employees. Now a community-based institution, it serves people who live, work or attend school across a 10-parish area in the Baton Rouge region as it marks its 90th anniversary.

Kristin Romero, chief experience officer at Baton Rouge Telco, said the credit union chose the product after reviewing how it looked and functioned on other credit union websites.

"It just seemed like a really technology-forward tool," Romero said. "It had a great user interface and user experience, and once I saw some of the other credit unions using it, I went to their websites and tried the tools myself. It was easy to navigate and it was on brand."

The decision was also influenced by the prospect of clearer data on whether members were using the calculators and moving into the lending process. Baton Rouge Telco's previous calculator offered only limited visibility into member activity, Romero said.

Appli built and configured the calculators using Baton Rouge Telco's rates, loan policies and branding. The implementation required only a small number of calls before the finished tools were added to the website backend, it said.

Romero described the installation as straightforward.

"The Appli team really took care of it for us," she said. "It was a super easy lift."

Early figures

The early results give Baton Rouge Telco a measurable indication of how website tools can feed into lending activity. Loan conversion value, application starts and conversion rates are closely watched metrics for lenders trying to turn online browsing into completed borrowing journeys.

For credit unions, website tools have become part of a broader effort to improve digital member journeys while keeping marketing and lending teams focused on trackable outcomes. Baton Rouge Telco said Romero has already begun reviewing usage reports and engagement data from the calculators.

She said access to those metrics matters.

"Appli makes it easy for you. I can get all of my metrics, I can see how they're helping us convert and drive our funnel," Romero said. "I mean, why wouldn't you?"

Implementation model

Appli was founded in 2024 by Tim Pranger, a co-founder of POPi/o. The company sells financial calculators for lenders and member service staff, focusing on personalising product shopping and improving conversion rates.

Pranger said the Baton Rouge Telco launch reflected the kind of implementation process Appli is trying to offer credit unions, with the supplier handling most of the set-up once rates and branding had been provided.

"This is what we want implementation to look like," Tim Pranger, chief executive officer at Appli, said. "Baton Rouge Telco gave us their rates and their branding, we built it, and it was on their site. No long back and forth, no heavy lift on their end. That's the whole point."

The credit union is considering giving the calculators a more prominent place across its website. Romero is also watching how members use the lead capture function alongside the institution's existing lead forms, which she said members already use regularly.

The figures suggest that even a relatively light website change can produce immediate lending activity if members engage with the tools. In Baton Rouge Telco's case, the first month delivered more than USD $4 million in loan conversion value, 150 loan applications started and a 17.7% conversion rate.