Where?

Primarily centralised contact and operations centres.

Employers?

All the big banks and insurers.

Where does the role fit in?

Almost anyone dealing direct with customers can be described as a customer service and sales representative, but here we are specifically looking at those staff who talk to customers via call centres (which most banks now refer to as contact centres).

Although quite a lot of these centres are concentrated in South Wales, the north-east and central Scotland, they can actually be found all over the country. For the big banks and insurers, location is less important than finding the right kind of people – people who can communicate well with their customers.

What you do

You'll be talking to customers on the phone! To begin with these calls could be about:

With a little more experience and training, which should be quite rapid, you are more likely to be:

• going through an application procedure for an insurance policy
• helping a customer to open a new current or deposit account

Further down the line you could be....

• dealing with an insurance claim
• dealing with specialist customers, such as business banking accounts or premier banking accounts
• calling customers about problems with their accounts

What you need to get the job

Customer service and sales representatives come from many different backgrounds. This role is particularly well suited to school leavers, providing access to a career path, training and qualifications. However, some graduates will also enter their banking and insurance career through this route.

The most important requirement is to have a good customer service manner - which basically means being both pleasant and efficient in dealing with people - together with a good understanding of the needs of the customer.

Of course, for certain specialist and sales roles, many firms will want to see some GCSE passes at C or above - usually including Maths and English. Many, if not all, firms will test your communication skills as part of the selection process, and for some employers your performance in this test is more important than paper qualifications.

Career prospects

In the past, contact centre staff tended to be isolated from the rest of the bank in career terms. Not any more! These days, contact centres are right at the heart of things – indeed, many of the household names in financial services, from Direct Line Insurance to Barclaycard, are almost entirely built around contact centres and central operations sites – so your further career options are practically limitless.

Career paths can include....

• moving into a supervisory role, then management through the structure above
• becoming a sales specialist (for example, in mortgages or financial advice – for which you will need specialist qualifications – see below)
• becoming a specialist in another area such as credit checking or credit control
• moving into quality control and planning and helping to design the next call centre!

Qualifications and career progression

The financial services industry is all about trust. It is an industry that looks after trillions of pounds of our money.

Initially, you will receive training in the company’s own processes and procedures, and be placed into a long-term programme designed to improve your customer service and sales skills. This could include qualifications such as the Customer Service Professional (CSP) certificate offered by the ifs School of Finance, or various NVQ-level courses that are available.

As you progress, you will be offered the opportunity to acquire additional qualifications that will enhance your career even further. These fall into 3 key areas:

• Qualifications to show your awareness of the general financial services and customer care environment in the UK. An example would be the ifs School of Finance Certificate in Regulated Customer Care (CertRCC) with its emphasis on Treating Customers Fairly (TCF).
• Regulatory qualifications, which are compulsory if you are going to advise customers on specific regulated products (particularly relevant if you want to follow a more sales-oriented career path). These would include the ifs School of Finance Certificate in Mortgage Advice and Practice (CeMAP®) qualifications for mortgage advice and Diploma for Financial Advisers (DipFA) for financial advisory roles.
• Gaining a diploma or a degree in financial services may also be possible for those who wish to have a more advanced qualification for even higher career progression. The ifs School of Finance Professional Diploma and Foundation Degree can be taken while you are working, and most banks will support you in doing this if it will further your career.

Income

Starting salaries

These vary from role to role, but are broadly as set out below.

Customer service

£11,000 - £13,500 on entry, rising to £13,000 - £14,500 when trained, plus bonuses. These are usually in the 2-5% range, but in some cases can be as much as 30% of salary.

Sales

£12,000-£14,500 on entry, rising to £14,000 - £16,000 when trained, plus commission and bonuses.

Career incomes

These vary according to the role.

£15,000 - £20,000 plus bonus for experienced customer service representatives, maybe more in areas like premier banking.

£20,000 - £25,000 plus bonus for customer service team leaders.

£15,000 - £20,000 basic, and total on-target earnings (OTE) of £25,000 - £30,000 for experienced inbound sales advisers.

£20,000 - £25,000 basic and OTE of £30,000 - £35,000 for sales team leaders.

Upwards of £40,000 for customer service and customer sales managers.

Many banks will offer a large town allowance for staff who need to live in expensive areas, or commute. Outside London, this will be around £1,000-2,000 where it is paid. While these jobs are fairly rare inside London, expect an extra £2,000-3,000.

Of course, banks and insurers also offer good packages of pensions and other benefits. These may not be of much interest to you now . . . but in the future they will be important!