West Asset gains reprieve

Local call center loses main client but recovers with replacement firm

What could have been an un-merry Christmas at West Asset Management Corp. office has turned into a jolly good time at the local call center.

On Oct. 22, the local office, 3432 Jefferson Ave., received a memorandum from Curt Becker, a West vice president, regarding a streamlining of operations at the local office’s main client, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage.

“We have been notified that Wells Fargo Home Mortgage has made the decision to place all of their customers calls with their internal call centers. Therefore, the Texarkana Wells Fargo business will end on Dec. 28, 2012.”

The decision would jeopardize the jobs of all 140 employees at the local

office, unless West headquarters found a replacement firm.

In November, West found a replacement, according to Penny Majeski, vice president of human resources and employee relations. Majeski declined to identify the new client, saying only that it is a Fortune 100 company.

With a new firm in place, West has filled 70 job positions—34 of those were employees retained after Wells Fargo withdrew.

“We expect to hire more employees and, hopefully, work our way back toward the 140 employees we had, or at least try to get as close to that as possible,” Majeski said.

Majeski said the new client requires a different call service than what West provided for Wells Fargo.

For Wells Fargo, the local call center conducted collection calls on delinquent mortgages. The new client is hiring West to provide customer assistance, and employees will be trained accordingly.

West employees who left the center before the Dec. 28 deadline can reapply with the company.