The $1.5 billion, Bakersfield, Calif.-based Kern Schools FCU, which came under fire last week by members after a system upgrade, is offering expanded call center hours and an on-site training program to further assist members who had trouble accessing their online accounts, Kern Schools FCU CEO Steve Renock said.
Renock said the CU's call volumes are "trending down but are still higher than normal." The CU is running a personalized training program through next week at its main office at 9500 Ming Ave. in Bakersfield, which allows members to receive in-person assistance from CU team members. Renock said about 200 members have participated in the program so far and were "appreciative of the assistance."
The Kern Schools CEO adds that as wait time for service has dropped, communication has become "less stressed for all involved."
"We are committed to helping each member resolve any issue they have, whether it is concerning the conversion or their normal business with the credit union," he said.
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Natasha Chilingerian
Natasha Chilingerian has been immersed in the credit union industry for over a decade. She first joined CU Times in 2011 as a freelance writer, and following a two-year hiatus from 2013-2015, during which time she served as a communications specialist for Xceed Financial Credit Union (now Kinecta Federal Credit Union), she re-joined the CU Times team full-time as managing editor. She was promoted to executive editor in 2019. In the earlier days of her career, Chilingerian focused on news and lifestyle journalism, serving as a writer and editor for numerous regional publications in Oregon, Louisiana, South Carolina and the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, she holds experience in marketing copywriting for companies in the finance and technology space. At CU Times, she covers People and Community news, cybersecurity, fintech partnerships, marketing, workplace culture, leadership, DEI, branch strategies, digital banking and more. She currently works remotely and splits her time between Southern California and Portland, Ore.
