Job profile: Customer Service

Similar job titles

Contact centre agent Customer service adviser Cashier Personal customer manager

What
No matter which sector of the industry you work in there will always be customers. These could be other businesses, private and corporate investors or individual members of the public. Customer service professionals are vital in ensuring that customers remain with the company whether it is a bank, insurance company or investment fund. It requires excellent people skills along with good product and technical knowledge. You could be handling thousands of pounds worth of cash every day as a bank cashier, setting up a new internet bank account, sorting out insurance cover for a customers home, pet or car, or sourcing information relating to a pension or investment fund. Striking up a good rapport and servicing customers needs, youll respond to enquiries and undertake many day-to-day administrative tasks. People working in customer service live the brand values of their employer and get to really know customers. A large part of your job will be to promote and market other financial services and products and, when required, putting customers in direct touch with colleagues or specialists that are qualified to sell regulated financial products.

Similar careers
Branch management Business administration Complaint handling Relationship management Sales

Salary
Entry level positions start at approximately 12,000 per annum. With the right experience, qualifications and skills you could progress to management roles and earn in excess of 60,000 per annum. This does not include potential bonuses and additional benefits. Salaries will vary considerably based on location and employer.

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Tasks
Delivering a reliable administrative support and customer service and improving the overall customer relationship Acknowledging customers promptly and treating them in a courteous manner Accurately finding out what information, products or services the customer requires to meet his/her needs, providing clear, accurate and relevant information Resolving customers queries within agreed authority Dealing with complaints and disputes relating to financial services products and/or services, in accordance with your organisations procedures and regulatory requirements Maintaining records and carrying out customer transactions within authorised limits Summarising any additional actions required, including follow-up calls Contributing to the development of new products and services, based on customer feedback Sales activity planning, including reviewing existing customer files to identify sales opportunities Compliance with legal requirements, industry regulations, internal policies and professional codes Set up, monitor and maintain customer accounts, processing and checking documentation

Skills
Excellent interpersonal skills, including excellent questioning and listening skills and the ability to communicate with a wide range of people Strong customer service ethic Work well in a team setting Reliable and ethical, respecting customers confidentiality Organised and methodical, with good attention to detail Confident selling and marketing products Good numeracy skills Computer literate Adaptable to a range of activities in any given day Flexible working, including potential evenings and weekends

Useful knowledge and experience

A new entrant will not always be required to have this knowledge. Employers usually provide training to acquire skills for: The features and benefits of products and the processes that relate to the services on offer Regulatory requirements and the difference between selling and advising How to use IT and telephone systems to support customer servicing and broader sales and marketing processes

Entry qualifications
Many people start off in customer service roles to access a wide variety of careers in financial services, accounting and finance. Employers look for people who are committed to providing excellent customer service, understand the impact on business of poor customer service and are good clear verbal communicators. Any qualifications that have a communication element, including English or business marketing, are useful. Those joining retail banking customer-facing roles should be prepared to have a Criminal Records Bureau check and credit check carried out. In order to gain an entry level position, employers will look for people who have: GCSEs, Scottish Standard Grades or equivalent qualifications such as Business, Administration and Finance (BAF) Diploma, BTEC First, Welsh Baccalaureate (BAC) Foundation and Intermediate Diploma, and Scottish National Qualifications at Intermediate 2 (SCQF Level 5) Apprenticeships can be a useful way to gain entry: Level 2 Apprenticeship in Providing Financial Services (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) Level 3 Apprenticeship in Providing Financial Services (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) Apprenticeships in Customer Service are also available. Contact the Council for Administration (CfA) for more information.
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Professional and higher qualifications

There are a number of professional financial qualifications that could be relevant and support someone wishing to progress in customer service and beyond: City College Norwich (CCNQ) L3 Certificate/Diploma for Professional Bankers Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) Level 3 Certificate in Financial Administration Institute of Financial Services Level 3 Certificate in Retail Banking Conduct of Business (CertRBCB), progressing to Level 4 Diploma (DipRBCB) Institute of Financial Services Level 3 Certificate in Regulated Customer Care (CeRCC) Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) Level 3 Investment Operations Certificate (IOC) for investment sector staff. CISI Level 3 Award for Introduction to Investment NVQs/SVQs in Customer Service, Contact Centre Operations and Contact Centre Professionals, are available. These are appropriate for any industry.

UK and global opportunities

The skills, confidence and product knowledge acquired from working in customer service are regarded by employers as extremely valuable and will usually open many career doorways in financial services and beyond. The organisation of contact centres activities within financial services is always changing, and these may become more complex and demanding as more routine enquiries are handled automatically online. Even with future changes, human intervention is always needed to provide that personal support and reassurance to customers. In retail banking and insurance there remains a very clear career pathway from customer service adviser to supervisor or specialist adviser, before branching out into business specific advice and undertaking appropriate technical qualifications. Fast track programmes for talented customer service personnel could quickly lead to a management position. You might work for a retail bank/building society, insurance company, investment firm, financial advice firm, mortgage or insurance broker or credit and leasing firm. Opportunities are nationwide, with customer facing roles in every town and city and a good regional spread of financial contact/call centres.

Find out more

British Bankers Association www.bba.org.uk Building Societies Association www.bsa.org.uk Chartered Accountants Ireland www.charteredaccountants.ie Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment www.cisi.org Chartered Insurance Institute www.cii.co.uk Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland www.charteredbanker.com City College Norwich Qualifications www.collegequalifications.org.uk Council for Administrations (CfA) - http://www.cfa.uk.com Directions www.directions.org.uk Institute of Financial Services www.ifslearning.ac.uk Institute of Bankers in Ireland www.instbank.ie Institute of Customer Service www.instituteofcustomerservice.com Scottish Qualifications Authority www.sqa.org.uk

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