Even before all of the details of a potential data breach at a national retailer were known, Xtend, Inc., the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based multi-owned cooperative CUSO, said that its Xtension Call Center had already seen a significant increase in call volumes by concerned members. The CUSO, which handles inbound member service calls for more than two dozen credit unions across the country, confirmed that volumes were much higher than normal starting on December 19th, but began to return to “normal” volumes during the past several days.
“It is not the first time our CUSO has sprung into action to help our customer-owners manage extenuating circumstances,” noted Xtend President Scott Collins. “Whether it’s a natural disaster like Sandy or a potential data breach like this most recent event, we pride ourselves on our ability to work closely with our credit unions and CUSO partners to help manage their member communication load. During the past two weeks, our credit unions tapped us on the shoulder to handle a high volume of inbound calls from concerned members, to deliver proactive outbound email and online banking messages and to execute outbound calls to affected members. As a shared resources company, it’s in our DNA to assist in whatever way we can.”
Collins continued, “What was supposed to be a festive time of year for our team and the members we support each day turned into a pretty hectic two-week period for both. I am proud of how my team stepped up to help our owners weather the storm, as well as the proactive and professional way our credit union partners responded to this latest challenge.”