Toyota Financial Services (TFS) and Lexus Financial Services (LFS) announced Dec. 10 the grand opening of their new Customer Service Center in Chandler, Ariz.

The center occupies approximately 100,000 square feet of leased space within the San Tan Building, and provides service for Western region loan and lease customers of Toyota Financial Services and Lexus Financial Services. The new center will employ approximately 365 with an annual payroll of more than $10 million, according to company officials.

The new facility joins an existing Customer Service Center (CSC) that is currently located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and a new Customer Service Center in the TFS/LFS Eastern region, which will be located in Owings Mills, Md. The two new Customer Service Centers are part of an organizational restructuring effort to continually improve customer satisfaction, according to TFS/LFS.

The Customer Service Center in Chandler will provide service to approximately 632,000 loan and lease customers living in the Western region, and expects to handle an estimated 4.4 million incoming and outgoing customer and dealer calls, as well as nearly 500,000 pieces of mail per year. Typical activities of the center include basic account maintenance such as address changes, account status inquiries, retail and lease payoff inquiries, and payment processing.

"This new customer care center will provide our customers with the highest levels of service and customer satisfaction," said George E. Borst, president and CEO of Toyota Financial Services and Lexus Financial Services. "We continue to develop a high-tech/high-touch environment where we use technology to enable us to deliver personalized service to our customers. Our customer service representatives use the latest telephone and computer technologies as tools to take care of our customers, who are the most important aspect of our business."

Toyota Financial Services first established operations in Phoenix, Ariz., in July of 1987 with 9 associates. The Phoenix branch office provided service to local dealers and customers.

Last year, a restructuring was announced to move all of the customer service functions out of the 30 branch offices across the U.S. and into 3 regional customer service centers. The branch offices have transformed into dealer sales and service offices, which will focus its attention on the needs of Toyota and Lexus dealers. The Phoenix Dealer Sales and Service office has been moved, and is now co-located with the Customer Service Center in Chandler.

When looking for a home for the new Western region Customer Service Center, the Phoenix metro area rose to the top of the list, according to Geri Brewster, vice president - human resources and real estate. "We were hoping to retain and relocate 40-50 of our associates to the new center in Chandler," Brewster said. "However, we had almost 200 associates who toured the Phoenix metro area and decided to make it their new home. In addition, when we held a job fair to recruit for the remaining positions, we had over 1000 applicants. The workforce is talented and passionate, and has a real commitment to delivering extraordinary customer care. It is an ideal place to do business."

About Toyota Financial Services

TFS is the finance and insurance brand for Toyota in the United States, offering retail auto financing and leasing through Toyota Motor Credit Corporation (TMCC) and extended service contracts through Toyota Motor Insurance Services (TMIS). Lexus Financial Services (LFS) is the brand for financial products for Lexus dealers and customers.

TFS is the third largest captive finance company, and the seventh largest finance company in the United States. TFS currently employs more than 2,700 associates nationwide, and has managed assets totaling more than $34 billion. It is part of a worldwide network of financial services offered by Toyota Financial Services Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corp.