Electronic Payment Provider Adds Capacity.(Fort Knox National Co)

Elizabethtown, KY -- Fort Knox National Co., a provider of electronic payment solutions, has opened a new customer contact center in Madisonville, Ky.

The new center is being hailed as a major economic development event for western Kentucky. Madisonville is located in the Central time zone, whereas FKNC's existing site in Elizabethtown is located in the Eastern time zone. Company officials will help the firm provide customer service over a wider period of time.

Bill Tolliver was recently hired as manager of the new contact center. In addition, FKNC has already hired 16 employees and expects to hire a total of 192 more, boosting the company's employment by 50%. Currently, FKNC has more than 400 employees in Elizabethtown, where the firm opened in 1985.

Wages for positions in Madisonville begin at $8.95 per hour for starting customer service representatives and include a benefit package. Wages rise to $26.71 for management positions.

Customer service representatives receive more than 40 hours of training before they begin taking client calls at the customer contact center. CSRs take appropriate information to debit the customer's checking account, savings account, or credit card. They also offer the flexibility to make one-time convenience payments or enroll in a recurring payment program that best suits customers' needs.

Fort Knox said it is investing $3.6 million to renovate the entire facility. The 10,125-square-foot building previously was an encoding facility for the U.S. Postal Service until it closed five years go.

In addition to being equipped with the latest telecommunications technology, equipment and workstations, the facility is also equipped with keycard access, surveillance cameras and a back-up generator to protect computer systems.