Gemma
Sales Adviser
Personal Lending
How did you get where you are now?
I studied beauty therapy in college and my first job was in a beauty salon. But after a few months I decided I wanted something that paid more money and offered better benefits. I was attracted to Halifax because I had family and friends who already worked there - they told me that the rewards were very good and that the hours were really flexible.
What are your main responsibilities?
Basically, I provide a first point of contact for customers interested in a Halifax Creadit Card. I take them through the application form, activate their card if they’ve just received one, and arrange balance transfers. I also sell card protection and repayment cover. The centre is very busy most of the time but during quiet periods I coach colleagues who might be going through a bit of a bad patch that day. I’ll plug into their phone, listen to how they take the customer through the call and then tell them how I’d have done it differently.
We’re set targets, of course, but they’re pretty realistic and quite easy to reach. And, our team leader is always there to guide us if we feel we need some help. I work nine hours a day, three days a week, and every two Saturdays out of three. I chose those hours because it gives me a lot of freedom to do the other things that interest me. I really love the flexibility.
What kind of person do you have to be to succeed in your role?
You need to be patient, customer-focused, and very friendly. I usually have little chat with the customer to break the ice. Every call takes as long as it has to, because some people want much more help than others - it all evens itself out in the end.
Give us an insight into the training you receive
I was given two weeks’ initial training. I spent a week and a half in the classroom learning about the products Halifax sells and about our specific roles. I then went out on to the floor and listened-in to real customer conversations for a few days. I was the one who decided when I felt confident enough to take my first live call – there wasn’t any pressure.
It actually turned out to be a much less nerve-racking experience than I expected –partly because I knew the coaching staff were there to hold my hand if necessary. Over the next few weeks, two or three of us who had been on the same training course got together and monitored each other’s calls – it was a great way of improving the quality of our performance. After only a week on the floor I felt I knew the job inside out.
Describe the culture in the contact centre?
There’s a great atmosphere here. Everyone gets on really well. Once a week we take an hour off for a team briefing session where the team leader will talk to us about targets, management decisions, bonuses and stuff like that. It also gives us a chance to bond as a team.
What are the promotion opportunities like?
They have a personal development plan for every individual, and as part of mine I’ve already had some team leader training. It’s a role I might want to consider in the future but at the moment, I’m happy where I am.
