Joanne's Profile - Banking and Savings Professional
Halifax has a really strong presence and I knew someone who worked in the contact centre and they were always saying how good it was there.
My background was in retail and I’d worked in various clothes shops before I saw the Halifax advert. I felt they’d be able to give me a bit more
security and the chance to develop a career.
I work for the agency team and take calls from customers who’ve enquired about opening a bank account with Halifax. Because of the size of the
agency (it might be in a small town for example) they don’t have all the facilities of a normal branch and have to refer customers to us to complete
the application process.
As well as helping customers open a new account I also look for opportunities to sell in other Halifax products such as loans or credit cards. There
are about 12 people in my team and we all sit together, so there’s always someone on hand if you need a bit of help.
Everyone has targets to meet but these are built up slowly. To start with you might have a target of setting up three bank accounts,
with no emphasis on cross selling other products. Then, once you get more confident, you might be given the goal of selling in one personal loan,
then a loan and a credit card and so on. The good thing about your targets is that they contribute towards your personal bonus, which you get every quarter.
If you hit your targets you get a bonus - and if you go over your targets you get a bigger bonus.
"The good thing about your targets is that they contribute towards your personal bonus."
I spent four weeks in training , where I built up a good knowledge of the various financial products and services I’d be talking to customers about.
You also learn about the phone system used in the contact centre and get the chance to take some ‘mock’ phone calls to give an idea of what it will be
like when you start doing it for real. I then spent a further two weeks in the development centre. All new starters spend time here and it’s where you
take your first live calls. It was a bit nerve-wracking but you’ve got loads of support around you and you’re definitely not thrown in at the deep end.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t have previous experience of working on the phones. Once you get to know them the systems are quite easy to use plus you’ve
always got loads of support around you if you get stuck.
But that’s not where your training ends. Halifax introduces new products all the time so we need to be kept up to speed on what they are so we can advise
customers.
We work hard here, but we also enjoy ourselves too. There’s a number of chill out rooms where you can take your breaks, which have Playstations,
table football and air hockey tables. Every payday is a dress down day and there are regular events organised for you to take part in. For example,
we’re having a big talent contest called ‘The X factor’ at the moment where people can get up on stage and belt out their favourite song. The
winner gets a cash prize and everyone else gets to have a good laugh.
You need to be able to strike up a rapport with the customer, because if you can get to know them, you’ll be in a better position to suggest a product
or service that might suit and benefit them.
Every member of staff gets a rewards booklet highlighting all the different things you can enjoy. All you have to do is decide which ones are right
for you. You can get free eye tests. There’s a good pension scheme. You can also purchase extra holiday out of your salary or pay a small amount every month
to get discounted dental care.