October 9, 2019 (Olympia, WA) – WSECU announced it has completed construction on its new Yakima Contact Center with plans to open the member service facility in early November. This is the second contact center for the $3 billion credit union, headquartered in Olympia. The new facility is in the same building as the credit union’s Yakima branch at 1400 Lakeside Court.

“For the last six months we’ve been hard at work planning, hiring and renovating the new space for our secondary contact center,” said Jim Averna, WSECU Vice President of Digital Services & Contact Center. “Our increased presence allows us to expand and enhance the WSECU community in the Yakima area.”

The contact center is a hub of member support for WSECU, with agents who provide service through both inbound and outbound communication. The service specialists engage with members through digital messages, social media and by phone and average more than 3,000 interactions a day. Calls can be simple requests for information or transactions, or more complex interactions such as loan applications or helping a member work through an improper credit card charge.

Averna anticipates hiring up to seven Support Specialist positions for the Yakima Contact Center by the first half of 2020. The space can accommodate up to 15 employees with plans to increase staff over time. Its leader is Drew O’Leary, who has been named manager of the Yakima contact center.

“We’re excited to grow our presence in central Washington,” said O’Leary. “We chose Yakima as our first contact center expansion for its centralized location and strong community ties. One benefit is that it will help us provide back-up service coverage as a disaster recovery location if our Olympia operations are ever interrupted.”

WSECU has been immersed in the Yakima community since 1992 when the credit union opened its branch. Over the years, WSECU has built partnerships with several area community organizations such as Junior Achievement, La Casa Hogar, the Dispute Resolution Center of Yakima & Kittitas Counties and Children’s Village.

“For some time now we’ve been exploring a second contact center,” Averna said. “We’re so excited that Yakima is where we’re growing. It’s an amazing community. When we learned the location adjacent to our Yakima Branch was coming available, we seized the opportunity.”

About WSECU
WSECU is an Olympia-based, not-for-profit credit union open to all Washington residents with a special emphasis on serving those who embrace the values of giving, sharing and supporting their communities. WSECU has 260,000 members, 21 branches, and $3 billion in assets. It commits 4 percent of its annual net income to invest back into the communities it serves through partnerships with education and other nonprofit institutions.